OSCAR 

PHELPS 

AUSTIN 


DUKE 

UNIVERSITY 


LIBRARY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/unclesamschildre01aust 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


FILIPINO  VILLAGE. 


Uncle  Sam’s  Children 

A STORY  OF  LIFE  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 


BY 

OSCAR  PHELPS  AUSTIN 


NEW  YORK 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 

1906 


Copyright.  1906,  by 
D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 


Published  November,  ISOS 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 

PAGE 

In  a Filipino  Village Frontispiece 

Egyptian  Obelisks 36 

Wash-day  in  the  Orient 54 

The  Taj  Mahal 58 

Transportation  Methods  in  the  Orient 64 

Palace  of  the  Sultan  of  Sulu 102 

The  Carabao  Cart 114 

A Country  Scene  in  the  Philippines 134 

Shipping  Cocoanuts  to  Market 150 

A Banana  Plantation 166 

Street  Scene  in  a Filipino  City  ......  188 

Working  in  the  Rice-fields 196 

On  the  Pasig  River,  Manila 242 

Market  Boats,  Manila 246 

A Street  Scene  in  Manila  : The  Escolta  ....  248 

Young  Filipinos  at  School 254 


46*60 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


A STORY  OF  LIFE  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 


CHAPTER  I 

“What  do  you  think  of  the  Philippines,  Dan?” 
“ The  Philippines ! Sallie,  surely  you  are  not 
thinking  of  going  there,  are  you  ? ” 

Readers  of  “Uncle  Sam’s  Secrets”  and  “Uncle 
Sam’s  Soldiers  ” will  remember  Dan  Patterson,  Sal- 
lie  Dennison,  and  Henry  Wilson.  Dan’s  exciting 
adventures  among  the  counterfeiters  and  detectives 
and  courts  of  justice  in  Washington,  as  related  in 
“ Uncle  Sam’s  Secrets,”  and  followed  by  equally 
interesting  experiences  as  a part  of  the  signal  corps 
with  the  army  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  as  told  in 
the  second  story,  “ Uncle  Sam’s  Soldiers,”  will  be 
readily  recalled ; while  no  reader  of  these  stories  can 
forget  that  gentle  and  womanly  character  Sallie  Den- 
nison, who  as  an  angel  of  mercy  nursed  Mr.  Pat- 
terson, Dan’s  uncle,  through  his  dangerous  illness, 
as  described  in  the  first  volume,  and  served  with 

1 


4:fJ7ilGG 


2 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


equal  success  as  a nurse  in  the  war  with  Spain,  as 
described  in  the  second  volume.  True,  Henry  Wil- 
son did  not  make  his  appearance  until  the  begin- 
ning of  the  second  of  these  stories,  but  his  stirring 
letters  to  Dan,  written  from  Hawaii  and  Manila, 
told  the  story  of  the  American  success  in  the  Philip- 
pines during  the  wrar  with  Spain.  These  names  and 
the  incidents  which  they  recall  will  also  bring  to  the 
minds  of  the  readers  of  those  volumes  Mr.  Chilton, 
the  detective  whose  careful  attentions  to  Mr.  Addi- 
son, the  counterfeiter  and  Spanish  spy,  were  features 
of  both  the  first  and  the  second  of  these  stories. 

The  war  with  Spain  was  successfully  ended,  the 
volunteer  army  disbanded,  the  sword  beaten  into  the 
plowshare  and  the  bayonet  into  the  pruning  hook, 
and  Dan  returned  to  the  life  of  the  farm  in  West 
Virginia,  as  did  also  Sallie  Dennison,  whose  home 
was  but  a short  distance  from  Dan’s.  The  hours 
passed  uneventfully,  Dan  following  the  plow,  but  de- 
voting his  evenings  and  rainy  days  to  his  books  and 
the  newspapers,  which  enabled  him  to  keep  well  in 
touch  with  the  affairs  of  the  busy  world ; while  Sallie, 
now  a young  woman,  was  called  by  the  people  of  her 
neighborhood  to  be  mistress  of  the  public  school. 

The  years  passed  quickly  and  peacefully.  Our 
friends  saw  each  other  at  intervals,  but  Dan  was 
absorbed  in  his  books  and  his  work  and  Sallie  equally 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


3 


so  in  her  chosen  vocation  as  an  instructor  of  the  chil- 
dren, whom  she  had  come  to  love ; they  scarcely  real- 
ized the  rapidity  with  which  the  years  w7ere  passing 
and  carrying  them  away  from  the  boyhood  and  girl- 
hood when  they  had  encountered  the  stirring  expe- 
riences told  in  the  volumes  above  mentioned— 
“ Uncle  Sam’s  Secrets  ” and  “ Uncle  Sam’s  Sol- 
diers.” 

One  day,  several  years  after  the  close  of  the  war 
with  Spain,  they  met  at  the  Fourth  of  July  celebra- 
tion which  the  patriotic  citizens  of  their  country 
home  insisted  upon  giving  with  each  return  of  that 
day.  The  flags  were  flying,  the  Congressman  from 
the  district  had  made  his  speech,  and  Dan  had 
marched  at  the  head  of  the  local  militia  company 
which  took  part  in  the  parade,  in  which  Sallie,  or 
Miss  Dennison  as  she  was  now  called,  had  also  par- 
ticipated with  her  pupils. 

u I want  to  have  a talk  with  you,  Dan,”  said  Miss 
Dennison,  as  they  met  after  the  active  proceedings 
of  the  day  were  over  and  the  people  were  placing 
their  lunch  baskets  in  position  for  the  picnic  which 
always  followed  the  oratorical  and  other  exercises. 

“ Certainly,  Sallie,”  said  Dan,  who,  having  known 
the  young  woman  from  girlhood,  still  felt  at  liberty 
to  address  her  thus  familiarly.  “ It  seems  good  to 
have  a chance  to  be  with  you  again  and  talk  over 


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UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


the  strange  experiences  when  you  helped  me  to  brush 
away  the  web  which  that  rascal  Addison  was  weav- 
ing around  me  in  Washington,  and  to  recall  also  the 
work  which  you  did  in  helping  to  save  the  lives  and 
reduce  the  suffering  of  our  sick  and  wounded  sol- 
diers in  the  war  with  Spain.” 

“ But  it  isn’t  that  that  I want  to  talk  of,”  said 
Miss  Dennison.  “ I have  more  important  things  to 
think  of  just  now,  and  it  is  about  them  that  I want 
to  consult  you.  I have  no  father,  you  know,  Dan, 
for  he  gave  his  life  to  save  that  of  the  men  in  the 
burning  mine,  and  I have  few  friends  here  whom 
I care  to  consult  about  such  a step  as  I now  contem- 
plate, a step  which  is  of  such  importance  and  grav- 
ity that  I should  take  the  advice  of  my  best  and 
wisest  friends  before  reaching  a final  decision.” 

Dan  looked  at  her  in  surprise. 

Could  it  be  that  she  was  contemplating  marriage  ? 
But  she,  with  her  woman’s  intuition,  quickly  fath- 
omed his  thoughts  and  hastened  to  reassure  him. 

“ It  is  about  a long  trip  to  the  other  side  of  the 
world  that  I want  to  consult  you,”  she  said. 

“ To  the  other  side  of  the  world ! ” said  Dan,  not 
understanding  her  meaning. 

“ Yes,”  she  answered.  “ Come  and  sit  down  on 
this  log  in  the  shade  and  we  can  talk  it  over,  for  if 
I go  I shall  want  experience  in  finding  shady  places, 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


5 


since  the  place  that  I am  thinking  of  as  my  future 
home  has  summer  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
in  the  year  and  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  days  in 
leap  year.” 

Dan  was  puzzled.  He  had  never  seen  Miss  Denni- 
son in  just  such  a mood — a calm,  methodical  working 
out  of  some  plan  for  her  life  work  apparently,  yet 
groping  in  doubt  and  looking  for  counsel  from  one 
of  such  limited  experience  as  himself. 

“ Summer  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  in 
the  year,”  he  said  musingly ; “ I don’t  understand 
you.  I hope  you  don’t  think  of  going  back  to  Cuba, 
where  we  found  so  many  discomforts  in  those  broil- 
ing summer  days  ? ” 

“ Much  farther  away  than  that,”  said  Miss  Denni- 
son. “ Cuba  isn’t  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe,  is 
it,  Dan  ? ” 

“ Ho,”  said  Dan,  staring  in  a confused  way  at 
her.  “ The — other — side — of — the  globe  ! Surely 
you  don’t  mean  that  you  are  thinking  of  India  or 
China  or  any  of  those  places  where  the  missionaries 
go  and  get  murdered  and  where 

‘ The  heathen  in  his  blindness 
Bows  down  to  wood  and  stone.’  ” 

Miss  Dennison  laughed.  It  was  a nervous,  hys- 
terical laugh,  for  she  had  had  this  subject  upon  her 


6 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


mind  for  weeks  and  months  and  had  never  brought 
herself  to  mention  it  to  a single  person ; and  now  that 
she  was  attempting  to  announce  it  seriously  she  found 
herself  strangely  excited  and  anxious,  and  this  appli- 
cation of  the  words  of  the  good  old  hymn  which  they 
had  heard  so  often  in  the  country  meetinghouse  im- 
pressed her  as  especially  ludicrous. 

“ No,  no,  it  is  not  India  or  China,  for  I’ve  been 
reading  about  those  awful  Boxer  troubles  in  China, 
where  the  missionaries  and  ministers  were  shut  up 
in  Pekin  for  weeks,  with  thousands  of  Chinamen  try- 
ing to  take  their  lives,  and  saved  only  by  the  arrival 
of  American  and  European  soldiers.  It’s  not  there. 
Blit  what  do  you  think  of  the  Philippines,  Dan  ? ” 

“ The  Philippines ! ” said  Dan  in  amazement. 
“ The  Philippines,  Sallie ! Surely  you  don’t 
mean ” 

“ Yes,  I do  mean  just  that,”  said  Miss  Dennison, 
interrupting  him.  “ Why  shouldn’t  I mean  the 
Philippines,  and  why  shouldn’t  I go  there  if  I want 
to  ? They  are  Uncle  Sam’s  own  islands  and  our 
Government  wants  teachers  to  go  there  to  teach  the 
Eilipinos,  and  I guess  if  I can  teach  young  West 
Virginians  I could  teach  young  Filipinos.”  Her 
voice  trembled  as  sbe  said  it,  and  covering  her  face 
with  her  hands  she  burst  into  tears,  for  her  excite- 
ment on  disclosing  this  project  over  which  she  had 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


i 

thought  so  long  in  silence  quite  unnerved  her,  and 
her  feelings  were  intensified  by  the  expression  of 
amazement  with  which  it  had  been  met. 

“ Of  course  you  could  teach  young  Filipinos,  Sal- 
lie,  or  old  ones  either,”  said  Dan,  hastening  to  soothe 
her  wounded  feelings.  “ Of  course  you  could  teach 
them.  I didn’t  mean  that,  but — but — it’s  so  far 
away  and  all  the  people  are  so  strange  and  the 

weather  is  so  hot  and  the  lizards  and  the  snakes ” 

There  was  a shrill  scream — a woman’s  scream. 
Miss  Dennison  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  scrambling 
upon  the  log  on  which  she  had  been  seated  drew 
her  skirts  carefully  about  her  feet,  looking  wildly 
around.  “ Snakes  ! ” she  said  excitedly ; “ snakes 
and  lizards ! ” 

“ ISTot  here,  Sallie,”  said  Dan,  turning  his  face 
away  to  prevent  laughter.  “ I didn’t  mean  here,  I 
was  talking  about  the  Philippines.” 

“Pshaw!”  ejaculated  Miss  Dennison,  with  a 
mingled  look  of  relief  and  annoyance  over  her  need- 
less alarm.  “ Is  that  all  ? Why,  I read  a long  letter 
from  a school-teacher  in  the  Philippines,  and  she 
didn’t  say  a word  about  snakes.  As  for  the  lizards, 
they  say  they  are  quite  harmless,  and  are  considered 
household  pets,  as  harmless  as  a kitten  and  very 
convenient  for  catching  flies  and  mosquitoes.” 

“ So  I have  heard,”  said  Dan  dryly ; “ and  I have 


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UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


read  too  that  many  of  the  natives  keep  large  snakes 
in  the  garrets  of  their  houses  to  catch  the  rats.  They 
may  be  both  harmless  and  useful,  but  I don’t  think 
they  would  be  very  pleasant  companions.  But  you 
really  don’t  mean  that  you  are  seriously  thinking  of 
going  to  the  Philippines  as  a teacher,  Sallie  ? ” 

“ I really  do  mean  it,”  said  Sallie  quietly,  for  she 
had  regained  her  composure  and  was  quite  her  wom- 
anly self  again.  “ Teachers  are  greatly  needed  in 
the  Philippines,  and  the  Government  is  asking  peo- 
ple to  go  there  for  that  work.  Somebody  must  go, 
and  I can  be  spared  here,  for  nobody  would  miss  me 
except  the  children  in  my  school,  and  another  teacher 
could  be  easily  found  for  them.” 

“ Nobody,  did  you  say,  Sallie  ? ” asked  Dan  in 
a low  tone  and  with  an  earnest  look ; “ nobody, 
Sallie  ? ” 

“ Then  it  would  be  only  for  a short  time,”  said 
Sallie ; “ for  they  say  that  all  the  people  who  go  to 
those  hot  countries  are  allowed  to  come  home  for  a 
rest  and  change  of  climate  after  a few  years’  service. 
And  then,  you  see,  the  Government  sends  you  out 
there  on  one  of  its  big  ships  and  pays  you  a good 
salary,  more  than  twice  as  much  as  I get  for  teach- 
ing here.  Then  think,  too,  of  the  things  I should 
see  and  learn  by  the  trip,  and  how  much  more  useful 
I could  be  when  I came  back  to  my  school  here. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


9 


And  more  than  that,  Dan,  I want  to  be  helpful  to 
the  poor  people  of  those  islands  who  are  in  need  of 
teachers.” 

Dan  was  silenced,  if  not  convinced.  “ Perhaps 
you  are  right,  Sallie,”  he  said  slowly.  “ You  usually 
are ; but — but  it’s  such  a trip  for  you  to  take  alone, 
halfway  round  the  world,  and  among  people  that 
you  have  never  seen  and  who  speak  all  sorts  of  lan- 
guages that  you  have  never  heard.” 

“ Oh,  that  is  not  so  serious,”  said  Sallie  with  a 
quiet  smile.  “ I’ve  studied  it  all  out  on  my  maps. 
You  just  take  the  train  for  San  Francisco  and  get 
on  the  transport  there,  and  in  three  weeks  or  a month 
you  are  in  Manila.  Besides,  I should  not  be  alone, 
for  Miss  Saxton,  a teacher  in  the  next  district,  is 
going,  and  we  have  planned  to  make  the  trip  to- 
gether if  the  Government  will  accept  me  to  go  with 
her,  and  you  know  I have  already  had  some  expe- 
rience in  traveling,  owing  to  my  long  voyage  to  Cuba 
and  my  experiences  as  a nurse  in  that  war.” 

“ A telegram  for  Miss  Sallie  Dennison,”  said  a 
voice  just  beside  them ; and,  turning,  they  saw  a mes- 
senger from  the  railway  station. 

“ A telegram  for  me  ? ” said  Miss  Dennison.  “ A 
telegram,  what  can  that  mean  ? ” 

She  seized  the  envelope  and  tore  it  open  with  a 
nervous  hand  and  read  : 


10 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ The  Government  accepts  yon  as  a teacher  in  the 
Philippines.  Transport  leaves  Hew  York  on  Satur- 
day, going  by  way  of  Suez  Canal,  Ceylon,  Singa- 
pore, and  Hongkong  to  Manila.  We  must  leave  by 
morning  train  to-morrow.  Jennie  Saxton.” 

“ Short  notice,”  said  Miss  Dennison,  folding  the 
telegram  and  rising  resolutely  from  her  seat.  “ Short 
notice  to  get  ready  for  a trip  halfway  round  the 
world.  But  I shall  go.  My  school  term  has  closed 
for  the  season,  and  the  directors  can  easily  get  an- 
other teacher  before  the  school  opens  next  September. 
By  that  time  I shall  be  in  the  Philippines  teaching 
the  English  language  to  the  young  Filipinos.” 


CHAPTER  II 


It  was  a busy  morning  at  the  transport  docks  in 
the  great  city  of  Hew  York.  Heavily  loaded  teams 
were  arriving  with  crates  of  canned  goods  and  boxes 
of  khaki  uniforms  for  military  use  in  hot  climates ; 
men  with  blue  coats  and  brass  buttons  were  hurry- 
ing back  and  forth  and  shouting  orders  to  the  gangs 
of  workmen ; baggage  vans  were  being  unloaded,  and 
the  trunks  and  traveling  bags  marked  and  labeled 
and  put  in  orderly  piles  in  the  great  shed  which  cov- 
ered the  dock.  Alongside  lay  a big  steamer  with  the 
United  States  flag  at  the  masthead,  tugging  at  her 
ropes  and  groaning  and  creaking  as  if  anxious  to 
be  off  for  a twelve-thousand-mile  trip  across  three 
oceans. 

“ Hurry  up,  fellows ! ” shouted  an  officer.  “ Step 
lively,  now;  the  ship  is  to  sail  within  an  hour,  and 
here’s  all  this  freight  to  go  on  board  and  all  that  bag- 
gage to  be  put  in  the  staterooms.  Look  out  there ! 
Don’t  you  see  the  cab  ? ” 

As  he  said  this  a cab  with  a panting  horse  stopped 
2 11 


12 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


just  at  the  gang  plank,  and  two  young  women,  plainly 
dressed,  with  red  eyes  and  hats  awry,  scrambled  hur- 
riedly out  and  looked  about  them  in  a somewhat  be- 
wildered way. 

“ Is  this  the  place  ? ” asked  one  of  them,  speaking 
partly  to  the  driver  and  partly  to  the  huge  pile  of 
trunks  which  loomed  up  beside  them. 

“ Sure,  miss,  this  is  the  dock  where  ye  said  ye 
wanted  to  come,  and  I guess  that’s  the  vessel,  for  I 
see  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  over  her  deck,  and 
we  don’t  see  them  on  many  vessels  here,  except  them 
as  belongs  to  the  Government.” 

“ But  this  is  such  a big  ship  and  so  many  people. 
How  shall  we  ever  find  out  whether  this  is  the 
place  ? ” said  one  of  them  timidly.  “ What  shall  we 
do,  Sallie  ? ” 

“ I beg  your  pardon,  ladies,”  said  the  officer  who 
had  been  shouting  orders  to  the  workmen.  “ Are 
yoii  looking  for  the  Government  transport  for 
Manila  ? ” 

“ Yes,  sir,”  responded  the  one  who  had  just 
spoken.  “ We  are  to  go  to  the  Philippines  as  teach- 
ers, and  this  telegram,  which  I received  day  before 
yesterday,  said  that  the  boat  would  leave  this  morn- 
ing. So  we  traveled  all  day  yesterday  and  all  night 
to  get  here,  and  w?e  are  so  tired,  and  this  is  such  a 
noisy  city,  and — and ” 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


13 


“ Yes,  yes,”  said  the  officer  with  an  amused  smile, 
as  he  glanced  at  their  red  eyes  and  disordered  gar- 
ments, which  suggested  a night  of  discomfort  on  the 
train.  “ Yes,”  he  said  again  as  he  took  the  telegram 
which  Miss  Saxton  handed  him,  “ you  are  Miss  Sax- 
ton, of  West  Virginia,  and  this  is  your  friend,  Miss 
Dennison.  It’s  all  right.  I sent  that  telegram  my- 
self, and  I am  glad  to  see  that  you  were  able  to  get 
here.  It  was  a pretty  short  call  for  two  ladies  to  get 
ready  to  make  a trip  of  twelve  thousand  miles,  and  I 
wondered  whether  you  would  make  it.  Well,”  he 
added  musingly,  “ it’s  a good  sign.  People  who  do 
that  sort  of  thing  ought  to  have  the  stuff  in  them  to 
make  good  teachers  in  the  Philippines.” 

In  a few  moments  they  were  on  board  the  steamer 
and  placed  in  charge  of  the  stewardess,  a motherly 
looking  person  who  led  the  way  to  the  stateroom 
to  which  they  had  been  assigned.  Sallie  carried  in 
one  hand  a heavy  traveling  bag,  a relic  of  her  expe- 
riences in  Cuba,  and  in  the  other  the  ample  lunch 
basket  with  which  she  had  been  provided  by  her  en- 
thusiastic pupils  before  leaving.  Her  companion 
was  similarly  burdened,  and  they  tugged  painfully 
with  their  bundles  through  the  narrow  pasageway, 
bumping  against  the  legs  of  the  officers  who  hurried 
by  them  shouting  orders  and  making  ready  for  the 
departure  of  the  vessel. 


14 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ Here’s  your  stateroom,  ladies,”  said  the  stew- 
ardess, opening  the  door  of  a little  compartment  with 
two  narrow  beds  at  the  side. 

“ This  a stateroom ! ” said  Miss  Saxton,  who  was 
making  her  first  acquaintance  of  life  on  shipboard. 
“ This  little  place  for  two  people  to  live  and  sleep 
in ! Why,  it  isn’t  as  big  as  our  pantry  at  home. 
And,  did  you  ever!  Why,  Sallie,  just  look  at  those 
beds!  They  look  like  pantry  shelves  for  the  china- 
ware.  Why,  there  isn’t  room  to  turn  around,  and  as 
for  our  trunks,  we  couldn’t  get  one  of  them  in  here. 
What  shall  we  do,  Sallie  ? ” 

“ Oh,  you’ll  soon  get  used  to  that,”  said  the  stew- 
ardess with  a smile.  “ Your  trunks  will  be  placed  in 
the  baggage  room,  and  you  can  go  down  there  every 
day  when  the  weather  is  good  and  get  the  things  out 
of  them.” 

And  she  hurried  away  to  her  other  duties,  leaving 
the  two  young  women  to  make  Their  plans  for  the 
long  and  interesting  trip  which  was  before  them. 

They  examined  the  curious  little  room  with  many 
exclamations  of  astonishment,  though  it  was  not  alto- 
gether new  to  Sallie,  who  had  had  a like  experience 
on  her  trip  to  Cuba  as  an  army  nurse,  and  she  took 
delight  in  initiating  Fannie  into  the  mysteries  of 
the  folding-up  washstand,  the  tiny  closet  for  their 
wraps,  and  the  funny  little  ladder  with  which  the 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


15 


occupant  of  the  upper  berth  could  ascend  to  her 
bed,  which  Fannie  persisted  in  calling  “the  upper 
shelf.” 

“ I’ll  tell  you  what  we  can  do,”  she  said  with  a 
laugh.  “ I’ll  take  the  upper  shelf  one  night  and  you 
can  take  it  the  next.  Then  the  occupant  of  the  lower 
shelf  will  have  room  to  dress  while  the  one  on  the 
upper  shelf  turns  over  for  a morning  nap.” 

“ All  right,”  said  Miss  Dennison  with  a smile ; 
“ I’ll  take  the  upper  shelf  to-night,  for  it  would  be 
hardly  fair  to  initiate  you  into  steamer  life  by  put- 
ting you  up  there  the  first  night.  After  that  we — ” 
She  stopped  suddenly,  turning  pale  as  she  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a passing  face ; then  springing  to  the  door 
of  the  stateroom,  she  peered  long  and  earnestly  down 
the  passageway  after  the  rapidly  retreating  figure. 

“ What’s  the  matter,  Sallie  ? ” asked  Miss  Saxton. 
“ Have  you  seen  a ghost?  You  were  as  white  as  my 
handkerchief,  and  I thought  you  were  going  to  run 
down  the  hallway  after  that  man.” 

Miss  Dennison  sat  down  suddenly  and  covered  her 
face  with  her  hands.  For  several  minutes  she  did 
not  speak  or  move.  Then  she  rose,  and  turning  to 
the  little  circular  opening,  called  in  nautical  terms 
the  “ port,”  but  which  Miss  Saxton  had  called  “ a 
funny  little  window,”  drew  long  deep  draughts  of 
fresh  air.  When  she  turned  again  to  her  astonished 


16 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


companion,  tlie  color  was  gradually  returning  to  her 
face. 

“ Why  don’t  you  speak,  Sallie  ? ” said  Miss  Sax- 
ton eagerly.  “ Are  you  ill  ? Perhaps  that  long  ride 
on  the  train  and  the  excitement  of  our  rush  across 
the  city  to  catch  the  vessel  have  been  too  much  for 
you.” 

“ No,  no,”  said  Miss  Dennison.  “ It’s  more  than 
that.  You  spoke  rightly,  Dannie,  when  you  asked  if 
I had  seen  a ghost,  for  that  seems  to  be  the  best 
explanation  I can  find  for  what  I have  just  seen.” 

“ What  do  you  mean,  Sallie  ? ” inquired  Miss 
Saxton,  looking  anxiously  into  the  passageway  down 
which  Miss  Dennison  had  been  staring. 

“ Wallace  Addison,”  said  Miss  Dennison.  “ That 
face  was  surely  the  face  of  Wallace  Addison.  I 
caught  hut  a glimpse  of  it  as  the  figure  passed  the 
door,  but  I could  not  have  been  mistaken.  I’ve  seen 
it  too  often  and  under  too  many  strange  circum- 
stances to  fail  to  recognize  it.”  She  shuddered  as 
she  spoke,  and  again  covered  her  eyes  with  her  hands, 
as  if  to  shut  out  the  picture  which  presented  itself 
before  her  mental  vision. 

“ I do  not  understand  at  all,”  said  Miss  Saxton. 
“ Who  is  Wallace  Addison,  and  why  does  a glimpse 
of  his  face  affect  you  so  ? I thought  he  was  a neatly 
dressed  and  rather  nice-looking  man.” 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


17 


“ Who  is  Wallace  Addison?  ” said  Miss  Dennison, 
repeating  her  words  and  staring  at  her.  “ Is  it  pos- 
sible that  you  can  ask  such  a question  ? Oh,  yes,  I 
forgot,”  she  said  after  a moment’s  reflection.  “ I 
forgot  that  you  came  to  our  neighborhood  after  all 
of  those  terrible  things  happened — things  in  which 
he  caused  the  death  of  my  father  and  attempted  to  de- 
stroy the  reputation  of  another  man,  and  afterwards 
turned  traitor  to  his  country  in  time  of  war.  It  all 
happened  before  you  came  to  our  neighborhood,  and 
I beg  your  pardon  for  my  reply  to  your  question 
about  him.” 

“ Tell  me  aboiit  it,  Sallie,”  said  Miss  Saxton,  tak- 
ing a seat  beside  her  and  putting  an  arm  gently  about 
her  waist. 

“ It’s  a long  story,  F annie,  and  I can’t  tell  it  to 
you  in  detail  now,  for  I am  too  much  excited  and  too 
much  alarmed  also,  for  this  man’s  presence  seems 
always  to  mean  danger  to  me  or  to  some  who  are 
dear  to  me.  Wallace  Addison  was  a young  man  in 
our  neighborhood  who  lived  in  a castle  on  the  moun- 
tain side,  with  no  visible  occupation  but  always  with 
plenty  of  money.  One  day  Dan  Patterson  was  sent 
by  his  foster  father  to  Washington  to  exchange  some 
defaced  bills  for  new  ones,  and  Addison  followed 
him  secretly,  getting  possession  of  the  bag  which 
contained  the  bills  and  placing  counterfeit  bills  in 


18 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


their  places.  He  also  placed  in  Dan’s  pocket  a die 
which  he  had  been  detected  in  stealing  from  the  Mint 
at  Philadelphia ; and  as  a result  Dan  was  arrested 
in  Philadelphia  on  the  charge  of  stealing  the  die, 
and  afterwards  again  arrested  in  Washington  on  the 
charge  of  being  a counterfeiter.  Meantime  Addi- 
son, whose  crime  was  not  yet  known,  returned  home 
and  enticed  my  father  into  a transaction  which  led 
him  to  do  certain  things  that  cost  him  his  life.  The 
facts  all  came  out  on  the  trial  of  Dan  Patterson, 
and  when  the  officers  attempted  to  arrest  Addison  he 
plunged  into  the  river  and  disappeared,  and  they 
thought  he  was  drowned.  But  he  reappeared  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  with  Spain,  was  arrested  as 
a Spanish  spy,  escaped  again,  and  finally,  just  as  the 
war  with  Cuba  was  about  closing,  was  again  detected 
as  a spy  in  the  American  camp.  While  fleeing  from 
his  pursuers  he  was  shot,  and  fell,  apparently  dead. 
But  it  must  be  that  he  did  not  die,  for  I am  sure  that 
it  was  his  face  that  I saw  pass  that  door.” 

“ Oh,  you  are  probably  mistaken,  Sallie,”  said 
Miss  Saxton  soothingly.  “ There  are  millions  of 
people  in  this  great  country  of  ours,  millions  even  in 
this  city,  for  you  know  our  schoolbooks  tell  us  that, 
Greater  Hew  York  has  a population  of  nearly  four 
million.  But  you  didn’t  tell  me  all  of  this  matter, 
for  I now  remember  to  have  heard  that  you  were 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


19 


the  principal  witness  by  which  Mr.  Addison’s  crime 
was  uncovered  and  Dan  Patterson  acquitted.” 

“ Oh ! I cannot  talk  any  more  about  that  now, 
Fannie.  Please  excuse  me,  but  I really  cannot,” 
said  Miss  Dennison,  rising  excitedly  from  her  seat 
and  pacing  the  little  room. 

“ Certainly,  Sallie,”  replied  Miss  Saxton.  “ For- 
give me  for  suggesting  it.  Come,  let  us  go  up  on 
the  roof  of  the  ship,  for  I think  it  is  going  to  start 
soon.” 

“ On  the  roof  ? ” said  Miss  Dennison  in  a bewil- 
dered way.  “ Oh,  I understand.”  And  she  burst 
into  a nervous,  almost  hysterical  laugh.  “ You 
mean  on  the  deck,  Fannie;  that  is  what  they  call 
that  part  of  the  vessel,  and  if  you  don’t  want  to  be 
laughed  at  by  all  the  people  on  hoard  don’t  let  them 
hear  you  call  it  the  roof.” 

After  a few  minutes  spent  in  consulting  the  mirror 
and  bathing  red  eyes  and  adjusting  hats,  they  made 
their  way  among  scattered  trunks  and  boxes  and 
bundles  to  the  deck,  which  was  crowded  with  officers 
and  soldiers,  and  here  and  there  a group  of  ladies, 
apparently  the  wives  of  officers  bound  for  the  Philip- 
pines. 

The  vessel  was  already  beginning  to  move.  The 
stout  ropes  which  held  her  to  the  docks  had  been 
made  loose  and  were  being  pulled  on  board,  the  pro- 


20 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


pellers  were  revolving,  and  the  great  ship,  like  a 
thing  of  life,  began  to  draw  steadily  away  from  the 
dock.  The  crowd  of  people  who  had  gathered  to  see 
their  friends  off  were  shouting  good-bys,  when  a cab 
hurriedly  drove  down  to  the  end  of  the  dock,  a 
young  man  with  bronzed  face  sprang  quickly  out 
and  rushed  to  the  point  nearest  the  vessel,  waving 
his  hat  in  an  excited  way  and  gesticulating  and 
shouting  words  which  could  not  he  understood  by 
those  on  hoard. 

“ That  fellow  arrived  too  late,”  said  a voice  just 
beside  the  two  young  women,  who  stood  near  the 
how  of  the  vessel  intent  on  the  strange  scenes  around 
them.  “ He  evidently  came  to  see  some  of  his 
friends  off,  but  arrived  just  a few  minutes  too  late. 
Why,  what’s  the  man  doing?  He  seems  to  be  try- 
ing to  signal.”  For  the  young  man  had  drawn  a 
handkerchief  from  his  pocket  and  was  swinging  it 
in  a curious  fashion,  first  to  the  right,  then  to  the 
left,  then  up,  then  down,  in  a methodical  way  but 
with  an  energy  which  suggested  that  he  had  an  im- 
portant communication  for  somebody  on  the  vessel. 

“ Why,  that’s  Dan  Patterson,”  said  Miss  Denni- 
son, looking  in  the  direction  which  the  officer  indi- 
cated. “ That’s  Dan  Patterson,  and  he  is  trying  to 
signal  some  message  to  us.  Is  there  nobody  here 
who  can  answer  him  and  take  his  message  ? ” 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


21 


“ Who’s  Dan  Patterson,  and  how  does  he  know 
how  to  signal  so  well  ? ” inquired  the  lieutenant. 

“ He  was  in  the  signal  corps  during  the  war  with 
Spain,  Mr.  Officer,”  said  Miss  Dennison,  recognizing 
him  as  the  one  who  had  so  kindly  greeted  them  on 
their  arrival.  “ He  is  a neighbor  from  our  home 
and  must  have  a message  for  us.” 

“ Well,  we’ll  see  what  he  has  to  say,  if  you  de- 
sire,” said  the  lieutenant ; and  drawing  a handker- 
chief from  his  pocket  he  replied  quickly  to  Dan’s 
signals,  for  it  was  indeed  Dan  Patterson  who  was 
frantically  signaling  to  the  departing  vessel. 

The  handkerchiefs  moved  back  and  forth,  up  and 
down,  right  and  left,  and  left  and  right,  and  it 
seemed  to  the  young  women  that  the  conversation 
would  never  cease.  But  they  held  their  peace,  for 
they  realized  that  an  interruption  might  prevent 
accuracy  in  understanding  the  words  which  were 
being  sent  in  this  mysterious  fashion. 

“ He  says,”  remarked  the  lieutenant  as  the  mys- 
terious movements  ended,  “ to  tell  Miss  Dennison 
to  look  out  for  Wallace  Addison,  the  counterfeiter 
and  Spanish  spy;  that  he  has  learned  that  Addison 
is  not  dead,  but  has  revisited  his  castle  and  counter- 
feiting den,  and  that  he  has  reason  to  believe  that  he 
has  taken  passage  on  this  steamer  for  the  Philip- 
pines.” 


22 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ Then  I was  right,”  said  Miss  Dennison,  “ in 
thinking  that  I saw  him  pass  our  stateroom  a half- 
hour  ago.” 

As  she  said  this  the  sound  of  a pistol  shot  rang 
out  from  some  part  of  the  vessel,  apparently  below 
the  deck  on  which  they  stood,  and  she  saw  Dan  fall 
backward  into  the  arms  of  a policeman  who  stood 
near  him.  She  screamed  with  fear,  then  everything 
grew  dark  about  her,  and  she  fell  fainting  to  the 
deck. 


CHAPTER  III 


When  Miss  Dennison  returned  to  consciousness 
she  found  herself  in  her  own  stateroom,  with  Miss 
Saxton  bending  anxiously  over  her  and  bathing  her 
forehead  and  temples. 

“ Where  am  I ? ” she  said,  staring  about  her. 
“ What  is  the  matter  ? Oh,  yes,  I remember.”  And 
she  closed  her  eyes  again,  as  if  to  shut  out  the  recol- 
lection of  the  tragic  event.  “ I remember ! Oh, 
Dan!  Dan!  why  did  you  come  to  Hew  York?  Oh, 
Fannie,  I must  go  on  shore  and  take  care  of  Dan!  ” 
and  she  struggled  to  her  feet  and  staggered  toward 
the  door. 

“ Ho,  no,  Sallie,”  said  her  companion,  restraining 
her.  “ Stay  here  in  your  room  and  rest.  You  have 
had  a terrible  shock  and  you  must  remain  quiet. 
Besides,  the  vessel  is  now  far  out  at  sea,  and  you 
could  not  go  on  shore,  even  if  you  were  well  enough.” 

“ Did  it  go  and  leave  Dan  wounded  and  per- 
haps dying  there  among  strangers?  Oh,  Fannie, 
how  could  they  be  so  cruel  ? And  is  this  vessel  going 
on  without  an  attempt  to  arrest  that  villain  Wallace 

23 


24 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


Addison  ? I know  it  was  Wallace  Addison  who  fired 
that  shot;  I am  sure  of  it.” 

“ The  police  officers  came  on  board  the  vessel,” 
replied  Miss  Saxton,  “ and  made  a search,  but  could 
get  no  information.  They  made  careful  inquiry, 
and  the  officers  of  the  vessel  helped  them  in  every 
way.  They  questioned  the  men  in  every  part  of 
the  ship  except  those  who  were  working  in  the  engine 
room,  far  down  in  the  hold  of  the  vessel,  and  could 
find  nobody  who  saw  the  shot  fired.  I am  sure  they 
made  every  possible  effort,  and  the  officers  of  the  ves- 
sel tell  me  that  they  will  continue  the  inquiry,  and  if 
they  find  the  guilty  man  before  they  land,  will  have 
him  put  in  irons.” 

“ But  what  about  Dan  ? The  search  for  his 
assassin  will  not  help  or  care  for  him.” 

“ The  police  officers  who  came  on  board  said  he 
would  have  every  care  and  attention.  They  could 
not  tell  how  badly  he  was  hurt,  but  they  said  he  had 
been  sent  to  the  hospital  and  would  have  the  best  of 
care.  I gave  them  the  address  of  Mr.  Gordon,  his 
foster  father,  and  of  my  own  father,  too,  and  wrote 
telegrams  for  them  to  send  to  each.  The  lieutenant 
who  stood  beside  us  and  signaled  with  Dan  seemed 
very  much  interested,  and  asked  me  all  about  Dan 
and  about  Mr.  Addison,  and  I told  him  what  you 
told  me,  omitting  of  course  that  part  which  related 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


25 


to  your  own  father ; and  he  arranged  with  the  police 
officer  to  send  a cablegram  to  Port  Said,  the  first 
place  that  this  vessel  will  touch,  letting  us  know  about 
Dan’s  condition.” 

“ Oh,  thank  you,  F annie,  thank  you  so  much ! 
How  very  kind  and  thoughtful  it  was  in  you  to  do 
all  of  these  things  for  me ! But  it  will  be  such  a long 
time  to  wait,  for  Port  Said  is  a great  distance  away. 
We  have  to  cross  the  Atlantic  and  then  go  nearly  the 
entire  length  of  the  Mediterranean  before  we  get 
there.  How  can  I wait  all  that  time  to  know  whether 
Dan  is  living  or  dead  ? But  I shall  be  busy,  for  I 
shall  question  every  man  on  this  vessel,  and  I believe 
I shall  find  somebody  who  saw  Wallace  Addison  fire 
that  shot.” 

Miss  Dennison  was  right  in  her  assertion.  The 
voyage  to  Port  Said  vfoidd  be  a long  one.  For  two 
long  weeks  the  gallant  vessel  moved  toward  the  ris- 
ing sun,  across  the  great  Atlantic,  passing  through 
the  narrow  straits  with  the  frowning  walls  of  Gi- 
braltar on  the  left  and  the  quaint  Oriental  city  of 
Tangier  with  its  gleaming  white  walls  on  the  right; 
she  still  moved  eastwardly  through  the  blue  waters 
and  beneath  the  azure  skies  of  the  Mediterranean. 
During  the  first  few  days  Miss  Dennison  was  unable 
to  leave  her  room ; then  a comfortable  place  was 
made  for  her  on  the  deck,  and  day  after  day  she 


26 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


sat  watching  the  clashing  waves  or  the  group  of 
gulls  which  followed  the  vessel  almost  constantly 
from  the  moment  it  neared  the  Azores  Islands  and 
during  its  entire  tour  of  the  Mediterranean;  for 
these  birds  venture  long  distances  at  sea  and  follow 
eagerly  in  the  wake  of  vessels,  picking  up  the  bits 
of  food  and  refuse  which  they  leave  in  their  trail. 
Finally  she  gained  strength ' enough  to  walk  about 
the  ship,  and  then  she  penetrated  its  various  decks 
and  sections,  talking  quietly  with  the  men  em- 
ployed in  duties  of  all  sorts  and  searching  for  the 
information  she  desired  regarding  the  shot  which 
had  been  fired  at  Dan ; but  without  success.  The 
officers  on  board  the  vessel,  understanding  her  anx- 
iety and  desiring  also  to  perform  every  duty,  insti- 
tuted careful  inquiries,  hut  were  equally  unsuc- 
cessful. 

Miss  Dennison’s  explorations  of  the  ship  had  a 
double  purpose,  for  she  hoped  not  only  to  find  a wit- 
ness to  the  firing  of  the  shot,  hut  to  encounter  Wal- 
lace Addison,  and  thus  at  least  confirm  her  belief 
that  he  was  really  living  and  on  board  the  ship  from 
which  the  shot  had  been  fired.  She  carefully  noted 
the  faces  as  she  passed  among  the  thousands  of  stran- 
gers on  the  ship,  for  these  great  ocean  vessels  are 
capable  of  carrying  as  many  as  three  thousand  per- 
sons ; hut  her  search  was  in  vain. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


27 

But  the  longest  of  voyages  come  to  an  end,  and 
one  bright  morning,  just  two  weeks  after  the  vessel 
had  left  New  York,  Miss  Dennison  and  her  com- 
panion wrere  awakened  by  strange  sounds  which 
seemed  to  come  from  just  beneath  the  little  window 
of  their  stateroom,  and  glancing  out  they  saw  about 
them  a large  number  of  ships  swinging  at  anchor. 
It  was  apparent,  too,  that  their  own  vessel  was  at 
rest,  or  at  least  moving  slowly,  for  the  steady  rum- 
bling and  churning  sounds  from  the  machinery  below 
them,  which  had  been  continuous  day  and  night  for 
the  entire  two  weeks,  were  no  longer  heard,  and  the 
ship  seemed  to  be  gliding  quietly  among  the  other 
vessels  and  soon  ceased  to  move.  Then  there  was 
a rattling  of  great  chains  and  a sound  of  the  big 
anchor  plunging  into  the  water.  But  the  strange 
sounds  which  seemed  like  the  chatter  of  a cageful 
of  monkeys  grew  louder  and  seemed  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  peering  from  the  little  window  Miss  Den- 
nison saw  a long  rowboat  filled  with  men  moving 
directly  toward  the  vessel.  As  it  came  still  nearer 
the  babel  of  voices  increased,  but  in  the  midst  of 
it  all  she  could  not  recognize  a single  word,  and  as 
it  turned  full  into  view  she  saw  that  the  score  or 
more  of  men  in  the  boat  were  dressed  in  the  garb 
which  she  had  frequently  see  in  pictures  of  Oriental 

life.  Their  heads  were  wrapped  in  long  strips  of 
3 


28 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


white  or  gayly  colored  cloths,  their  bodies  were  scant- 
ily clad  in  white,  and  in  many  cases  the  upper  part 
of  the  body  to  the  waist  was  devoid  of  covering  and 
showed  at  every  movement  the  tense  muscles  of  the 
men  as  they  pulled  at  the  oars  and  sent  the  boat 
speeding  through  the  water. 

“ Why,  we  must  be  at  Port  Said,  Fannie,”  said 
Miss  Dennison  with  awakened  interest.  “ Here  are 
ships  all  about  us,  and  the  strangest-looking  people 
you  ever  saw.  Let  us  hurry  to  dress  and  get  up  on 
the  deck,  for  perhaps  we  may  get  the  cablegram  tell- 
ing us  about  Dan.” 

The  scene  when  they  reached  the  deck  of  the  ves- 
sel was  a new  and  novel  one  to  them.  Hative  boys, 
with  their  brown  skins  gleaming  in  the  tropical  sun- 
light, were  gamboling  in  the  water  beside  the  vessel, 
shouting  to  the  passengers  and  asking  them  by  ges- 
tures to  throw  pennies  into  the  water,  after  which 
they  promptly  dived,  catching  them  before  they 
reached  the  bottom  and  depositing  them  in  their 
mouths  and  clamoring  for  more.  Curiously  shaped 
rowboats,  differing  from  any  that  they  had  ever  seen, 
were  gathering  round  the  vessel,  their  owners  shout- 
ing and  gesticulating  in  the  hope  of  gathering  in  a 
few  piasters  by  rowing  a passenger  ashore.  Barges 
laden  with  coal  were  being  drawn  alongside  the  ship, 
and  the  turbaned  natives  were  stripping  themselves 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


29 


to  the  waist  in  preparation  for  the  work  of  trans- 
ferring the  contents  of  the  barges  to  the  hold  of  the 
vessel.  On  the  deck  of  the  ship  an  East  Indian 
juggler  was  performing  his  sleight  of  hand  to  an 
admiring  group  of  observers,  and  bowing  his  thanks 
for  the  shower  of  coins  which  followed  his  perform- 
ance. The  tropical  sun,  even  at  that  hour  of  the 
morning,  was  beginning  to  make  his  power  apparent, 
and  the  air  was  close  and  hot  now  that  the  vessel 
Avas  no  longer  in  motion ; hut  the  natives,  Avith  their 
thick  turbans  and  scant  garments,  seemed  entirely 
oblivious  of  the  burning  sun,  and  applied  themselves 
vigorously  to  the  labors  of  the  day  without  reference 
to  the  heat,  which  had  already  set  in  motion  the  fans 
of  the  ladies  from  the  climate  of  a temperate  zone. 

“ I hope  you  ladies  will  take  advantage  of  this 
opportunity  to  make  a short  visit  to  Cairo,”  said 
Lieutenant  Baxter,  as  he  saluted  Miss  Dennison 
and  Miss  Saxton.  “ The  vessel  will  remain  here 
twenty-four  or  more  hours,  and  as  I have  some  busi- 
ness in  Cairo  I shall  be  glad  to  escort  you  to  that 
city  if  you  care  to  go.  You  ought  not  to  pass  that 
interesting  place  without  a glimpse  of  its  strange 
people  and  a few  of  the  wonderful  things  which  it 
contains.  Of  course  there  is  enough  in  Cairo  alone 
to  take  your  time  for  a month,  but  even  a day  there 
will  be  of  great  interest  to  you.” 


30 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ But  we  had  hoped  to  have  a cablegram  here 
about  Dan — I mean  Mr.  Patterson,”  said  Miss  Den- 
nison, blushing  as  she  found  herself  speaking  thus 
familiarly  of  her  old  friend  to  a stranger. 

“ Yes,  I hope  so,  too,”  said  the  lieutenant,  “ but 
the  cablegram  will  not  arrive  until  to-night  or  to- 
morrow, for  we  have  arrived  twenty-four  hours  ahead 
of  our  scheduled  time,  and  so  we  cannot  expect  it 
to-day.  Even  if  it  should  come,  it  would  be  at  once 
forwarded  to  me  at  Cairo,  and  you  will  see  it  there. 
So  you  had  better  take  the  opportunity  to  see  Cairo, 
for  I assure  you  that  you  will  not  regret  the  effort 
or  the  small  expense  of  the  trip  to  that  city.” 

So  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  go.  In  a half- 
hour  they  were  ready,  each  equipped  with  a traveling 
bag,  for  the  lieutenant  had  promised  them  that  they 
should  remain  in  Cairo  a second  day  if  his  dispatches 
from  the  ship  should  warrant  it. 

“ But  how  are  we  going  to  get  ashore  ? ” inquired 
Miss  Dennison.  “ Isn’t  the  ship  to  go  up  alongside 
the  dock  ? ” 

“ No,”  said  the  lieutenant,  “ the  water  at  the  shore 
is  not  deep  enough.  You  will  find  almost  everywhere 
in  the  East  that  the  vessels  have  to  lie  out  in  the 
deep  water,  sending  their  freight  on  shore  in  barges 
and  the  people  in  rowboats. 

As  he  said  this,  a bevy  of  boats  manned  by  half- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


31 


clad,  shouting  natives  had  gathered  about  the  ship, 
each  man  screaming  in  a language  quite  strange  to 
them,  and  pointing  to  his  boat  to  call  attention  to 
its  special  merits.  They  clambered  slowly  down  the 
long  line  of  steps  which  had  been  let  down  beside  the 
vessel,  and  with  sundry  screams  and  starts  managed 
to  take  their  places  in  one  of  the  rowboats.  Then 
there  was  a halt,  for  the  boatman  demanded  an  addi- 
tional fare  because  of  the  hand  baggage  carried  by 
the  ladies,  but  the  lieutenant  soon  made  it  clear  that 
they  would  not  be  imposed  upon.  A few  minutes 
later  they  were  on  shore,  and  were  followed  from  the 
landing  by  a crowd  of  Arab  boys,  who  urged  their 
services  as  guides  and  interpreters  and  porters  with 
that  persistency  which  only  the  Egyptian  Arab  can 
maintain. 

A waiting  vehicle  drawn  by  two  diminutive  ponies 
whirled  them  through  a cloud  of  dust  to  the  station, 
the  crowd  of  boys  and  men  running  alongside  shout- 
ing and  scrambling  for  the  opportunity  to  carry  their 
baggage  to  the  train,  and  they  were  quite  glad  when 
they  found  themselves  stepping  on  board  the  car. 

“ What  a funny  little  box ! ” said  Miss  Saxton,  as 
they  took  their  places  in  the  car.  “ It  is  not  at  all 
like  the  cars  in  our  country.” 

The  little  compartment  which  they  entered  was 
barely  large  enough  to  seat  six  persons,  facing  each 


32 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


other,  on  comfortably  cushioned  seats  extending 
along  either  side  of  the  space  which  was  completely 
cut  off  from  the  remainder  of  the  car.  The  lieutenant 
explained  that  there  were  a half-dozen  or  more  of 
these  tiny  compartments  in  each  car,  and  that  this 
form  of  car  was  that  used  on  nearly  all  the  railways 
of  Europe. 

In  a few  moments  they  found  themselves  moving 
rapidly  out  of  the  little  town  of  Port  Said,  and  look- 
ing from  the  windows  they  saw  nothing  but  sand  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

“ We  are  now  in  the  desert,”  explained  the  lieu- 
tenant, “ and  we  shall  have  an  hour  or  more  of  this 
before  we  reach  the  section  which  can  support  life.” 
“ What  is  that  object  that  I see  in  the  distance,” 
said  Miss  Dennison ; “ it  looks  like  a lake  with  trees 
and  houses  around  it.  Is  it  an  oasis  ? ” 

“ That,”  said  the  lieutenant,  “ is  the  mirage. 
There  is  no  lake  there,  no  water  of  any  kind,  or  trees, 
or  houses — nothing  but  sand.” 

And  so  it  was,  for  it  moved  on  and  on  as  they 
traveled  toward  it,  ever  retreating  and  finally  disap- 
pearing. 

In  an  hour  they  were  in  the  midst  of  cultivated 
fields.  People  in  dark  skins  and  white  costumes, 
their  heads  protected  by  heavy  turbans,  were  driving 
their  donkeys  or  camels  in  the  fields  or  along  the 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


33 


dusty  roads ; others  laid  themselves  down  by  the  road- 
side in  the  blazing  sun,  making  no  effort  to  find 
shade,  and  were  enjoying  their  midday  nap.  At  other 
places  they  saw  a patient  ox  moving  round  and 
round,  turning  a wheel  which  lifted  water  from  the 
river  or  canals  to  the  surface  of  the  ground,  where  it 
ran  in  little  ditches  between  the  lines  of  growing 
grain,  irrigating  the  land  and  assuring  a plentiful 
crop.  The  houses  were  little  structures,  made  of  sun- 
dried  bricks,  with  a low  flat  roof  surrounded  by  a 
railing,  so  that  it  might  he  safely  used  as  a sleeping 
place  in  the  hot  nights  when  life  within  would  he 
almost  unendurable.  The  fields  were  being  culti- 
vated with  rude  wooden  plows  drawn  by  slowly  mov- 
ing oxen  with  curiously  shaped  bodies  and  broad 
horns  curving  inward  and  downward. 

“ Why,”  said  Miss  Saxton,  “ it  is  just  like  the 
pictures  in  father’s  Bible,  which  represent  the  people 
of  Egypt  thousands  of  years  ago.” 

“ Yes,”  replied  the  lieutenant,  “ the  method  of 
daily  life  has  scarcely  changed  among  the  common 
people  here  in  thousands  of  years.  They  see  the 
modern  methods  of  the  people  who  come  here  from 
other  parts  of  the  world,  they  make  the  acquaintance 
of  the  railroad  and  the  methods  and  comforts  of  our 
civilization,  yet  they  cling  persistently  to  their  own 
ways  of  life.” 


34 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


The  sights  from  the  windows  of  the  train  were 
so  interesting  that  they  were  quite  surprised  when 
they  found  themselves  arriving  at  Cairo,  and  were 
again  surrounded  by  a horde  of  men  and  boys  in 
white  clothing  and  black  skins,  shouting,  scrambling, 
and  trying  to  seize  their  luggage ; but  a few  well- 
directed  words  and  gestures  by  the  lieutenant  in  his 
uniform  scattered  them. 

“ You  must  have  a dragoman,”  said  the  lieutenant, 
“ for  you  have  many  places  to  visit  and  little  time  to 
spare.” 

“ A dragoman  ? ” said  Miss  Saxton.  “ What’s 
that — something  to  eat  ? ” 

“ No,”  said  the  lieutenant,  with  a smile,  “ merely 
another  name  for  a guide  and  interpreter.” 

So  one  of  the  bowing  and  smiling  black  men,  with 
well-developed  muscles  and  a fair  knowledge  of  Eng- 
lish, was  engaged  to  give  the  entire  day  to  the  young 
ladies. 

“ You  must  take  them  to  the  Mosque  el  Hasan, 
which  was  built  long  before  the  discovery  of  Amer- 
ica, and  to  the  great  new  mosque,”  said  the  lieuten- 
ant ; “ you  must  show  them  the  museum  with  its 
mummies  of  the  kings  five  thousand  years  old ; you 
must  take  them  to  the  citadel  and  to  the  tombs  of  the 
Mamelukes  and  to  the  Pyramids,  and  give  them  a 
glimpse  of  the  great  hotels.” 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


35 


“ All  in  one  day  ? ” asked  Ibraham,  raising  his 
hands  in  astonishment,  for  he  had  introduced  himself 
as  “ Ibraham  Izar  Obul  el  Ahmed.” 

“ All  in  one  day,”  said  the  lieutenant  coolly. 
“ How  much,  Ibraham  1 ” 

“ Three  hundred  and  fifty  piasters,”  said  Ibraham 
solemnly,  “ very  least  that  I can  do  for.” 

“ Ho,  no,”  said  the  lieutenant.  “ Come,  ladies, 
we  will  find  another  dragoman.”  And  he  turned 
away  as  if  to  go. 

But  Ibraham  was  persistent,  as  the  lieutenant  ex- 
pected, and  after  much  bargaining  an  agreement 
was  made  for  sixty  piasters,  a sum  slightly  less  than 
three  dollars,  which  included  the  use  of  two  donkeys 
and  donkey  boys  for  the  entire  trip  through  the  city, 
the  camel  fare  at  the  Pyramids,  the  fees  to  the  attend- 
ants at  the  mosques  and  the  various  places  visited, 
and  the  services  of  Ibraham. 

Then  the  donkeys  were  selected  from  the  collection 
at  hand — two  diminutive  beasts  which  seemed  little 
larger  than  good-sized  goats,  and  led  by  scantily 
dressed  lads — and  after  much  protestation  from  the 
ladies  that  riding  upon  them  would  be  quite  impos- 
sible, the  lieutenant  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
them  in  the  saddles  and  the  donkeys  moving  briskly 
away,  each  followed  by  a donkey  boy  who  applied 
the  whip  vigorously,  urging  the  little  animal  into  a 


36 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


steady,  rapid  gallop.  Ibraliam  ran  ahead,  shouting 
to  the  crowds  of  natives  who  filled  the  streets  and 
urging  them  to  make  way  for  the  foreigners. 

For  awhile  the  young  ladies  were  obliged  to  oc- 
cupy their  entire  attention  in  the  task  of  retaining 
their  seats,  clinging  with  sundry  screams  to  the  rude 
saddles  upon  which  they  rode.  As  they  gradually 
grew  accustomed  to  the  pace  of  the  donkeys,  they 
were  able  to  give  some  attention  to  the  strange  sights 
about  them.  Everywhere  the  streets  were  densely 
crowded  with  men  of  all  colors  and  costumes,  hurry- 
ing back  and  forth  in  the  middle  of  the  streets,  the 
narrow  sidewalk  being  usually  occupied  by  the  wares 
of  the  merchants,  whose  little  shops  fronted  upon  it. 
Many  of  the  people  were  of  light  skins  with  blue  eyes 
and  dark  hair,  and  they  usually  wore  the  Turkish 
fez,  a red  cap  with  a tassel  at  the  top,  and  their 
costumes  were  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  Ameri- 
cans and  Europeans.  They  were  the  Turks  and  their 
descendants,  the  governing  class,  for  Egypt  is,  nom- 
inally at  least,  a dependency  of  Turkey.  Others, 
with  dark-brown  skins,  wore  a picturesque  turban 
and  a flowing  Avhite  robe  held  about  the  waist  by  a 
girdle  of  some  bright  color.  They  were  the  Egyp- 
tians, descendants  of  the  people  who  have  occupied 
the  lower  Nile  valley  for  many  centuries.  Still 
others,  with  intensely  black  skins  but  finely  devel- 


EGYPTIAN  OBELISKS. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


37 


oped  figures,  strode  proudly  along,  carrying  their 
burdens  with  an  air  of  conscious  pride  in  their  phys- 
ical strength.  They  were  the  natives  of  the  upper 
USTile  region  and  the  oases  of  the  desert. 

In  a few  minutes  they  found  themselves  arriving 
at  the  Mosque.  In  front  of  it  was  gathered  a large 
number  of  people,  all  gazing  upward  and  looking 
in  the  same  direction  the  young  ladies  saw  a mau 
clothed  in  white  standing  on  a balcony  overlooking 
the  people. 

“ The  muezzin,”  said  Ibraham ; “ he  is  about  to 
call  the  faithful  to  prayer.”  And  as  he  said  this  the 
cry  of  the  muezzin  came  floating  down  to  them : “ La 
ilala  ill  Allah!”  In  a moment  every  man  and 
woman  about  them  had  bowed  to  the  ground  and  was 
engaged  in  solemn  prayer.  Arriving  at  the  door  of 
the  Mosque,  the  ladies  were  told  that  they  must  re- 
move their  shoes  before  entering,  but  Ibraham  finally 
compromised  by  obtaining  some  loose  canvas  slippers 
which  were  slipped  over  the  shoes  of  the  ladies,  and 
they  entered  the  Mosque,  where  they  found  the  faith- 
ful bowing  toward  the  east  and  repeating  their 
prayers,  while  others,  seated  crosslegged  upon  the 
carpets,  were  also  repeating  their  prayers  in  loud 
tones  and  bowing  until  their  foreheads  touched  the 
floor  on  which  they  sat. 

From  the  Mosque  they  took  their  way  to  the  great 


38 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


citadel,  built  long  before  America  was  discovered 
from  stones  taken  from  the  Pyramids,  then  thousands 
of  years  old,  and  from  its  walls  they  obtained  a mag- 
nificent view  of  the  city  which  lay  in  the  valley  be- 
low. Then  came  a hurried  visit  to  the  museum  and 
the  mummies  of  the  Egyptian  kings  of  thousands  of 
years  ago,  and  from  here  they  took  their  way  to  the 
electric  car,  which  was  to  carry  them  to  the  Pyramids 
a dozen  miles  distant. 

On  their  way  they  encountered  many  women  clad 
in  black  robes,  their  faces  concealed  by  a black  veil 
Avhich  extended  upward  to  the  eyes — a custom  which 
prevails  with  a large  proportion  of  the  women  of  the 
East.  As  they  passed  through  the  narrow  street 
which  leads  to  the  electric  railway,  they  met  long 
trains  of  camels  coming  in  from  the  desert,  laden 
with  products  of  the  oases  for  the  markets  of  Cairo. 
Arriving  at  the  Pyramids,  they  mounted  upon  camels 
for  which  Ibraham  bargained  with  many  long  and 
painful  protests  that  the  price  which  he  had  to  pay 
would  entirely  ruin  him  and  destroy  the  profits  of 
the  day.  It  was  difficult  to  realize  as  they  looked 
upon  these  enormous  structures,  made  of  huge  stones 
which  would  require  the  strength  of  hundreds  of  men 
to  place  in  position,  that  they  had  existed  for  five 
thousand  years.  But  they  had  little  time  for  reflec- 
tion, for  the  approach  of  the  sun  toward  the  horizon 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


39 


warned  them  that  the  day  was  about  to  close,  and  the 
heads  of  the  patient  camels  were  turned  toward  the 
Sphinx,  which  still  refused,  as  he  had  done  for  thou- 
sands of  years,  to  tell  the  story  of  his  existence. 

The  lights  of  the  busy  city  of  Cairo  w-ere  burning 
brightly  as  they  reached  the  railway  station  and 
found  Lieutenant  Baxter  awaiting  them. 

“ We  must  take  the  next  train  for  Port  Said,”  he 
said ; “ the  ship  will  leave  in  the  morning.” 

In  a few  hours  they  had  arrived  again  at  Port 
Said.  An  orderly  met  the  lieutenant  at  the  train 
and  handed  him  a cablegram,  which  he  quickly  tore 
open  and  read  aloud: 

. — s 

“ Patterson  had  close  call,  but  is  recovering,  and 
will  leave  for  home  to-morrow.” 

“ Thank  God,”  said  Miss  Dennison ; “ and  thank 
you,  Lieutenant  Baxter,  for  your  kindness  in  get- 
ting us  this  good  news.”  And  her  tears  flowed 
silently  as  they  took  the  little  carriage  drawn  by  the 
same  diminutive  ponies  for  the  landing. 

“ And  now,  ladies,”  said  the  lieutenant,  “ I shall 
put  you  on  board  this  boat  and  instruct  the  boat- 
man to  take  you  to  the  ship,  for  I must  give  my 
attention  to  business  on  shore  here  until  the  vessel 
is  ready  to  sail.  This  man  is  quite  reliable,  and  I 


40 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


am  sure  you  will  have  no  trouble  about  reaching  the 
ship.” 

They  took  their  places  in  the  little  boat,  and,  tired 
as  they  were  with  the  activities  of  the  day,  were  ab- 
sorbed in  the  scenes  around  them  until  their  boat 
swung  against  the  landing  stage  of  a great  steamer. 
The  boatman  dropped  his  oars  as  though  at  the  end 
of  his  trip.  As  he  did  so,  however,  a man  standing 
in  the  darkness  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  shouted 
roughly  to  him,  and  pointing  to  another  vessel  a hun- 
dred feet  away  spoke  a few  words  which  were  not 
understood  by  the  young  women.  The  boatman, 
staring  in  a confused  way  at  the  ship,  followed  the 
instruction  of  the  man,  who  spoke  in  tones  of  sharp 
authority,  and  in  a moment  their  baggage  was  tossed 
on  board  the  ship  to  which  he  had  pointed,  and  they 
were  both  assisted  up  the  steps  which  led  from  the 
water  to  the  deck,  and  which  to  their  untrained  eyes 
appeared  the  same  by  which  they  had  reached  the 
boat  in  the  early  morning. 

As  they  reached  the  deck  the  steps  were  drawn  up, 
the  anchor  chain  rattled,  the  propellers  began  to 
move,  and  the  lights  of  the  harbor  began  to  dis- 
appear. 

“ Why,  I believe  the  vessel  is  moving  already,” 
said  Miss  Dennison.  “ How  fortunate  that  we  got 
on  board  as  we  did ! ” And,  sinking  into  convenient 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


41 


seats,  the  exhausted  young  women  sat  silently  watch- 
ing the  strange  panorama  which  was  passing  before 
them.  Then  the  banks  of  the  Suez  Canal  were 
dimly  outlined  on  either  side,  the  lights  of  Port 
Said  grew  more  distant  and  dim,  and  there  was 
darkness. 

“ Come,  Sallie,”  said  Miss  Saxton.  “ Let  us  go 
to  our  stateroom.  We  have  had  quite  enough  of  in- 
teresting and  exciting  experiences  for  one  day.” 

But  they  were  destined  to  encounter  one  more  sur- 
prising and  exciting  incident,  for  when  they  arrived 
at  the  door  of  the  stateroom  bearing  the  familiar 
number  they  found  it  occupied  with  baggage  and 
belongings  not  their  own,  but  bearing  unfamiliar 
names  and  addressed  to  Singapore. 

“ You  have  evidently  made  a mistake,  ladies,”  said 
an  officer  who  was  passing.  “ This  is  Mo.  124.” 

“ Yes,”  said  Miss  Dennison ; “ and  we  have  occu- 
pied No.  124  all  the  way  from  New  York.” 

“From  New  York?”  said  the  officer,  speaking 
with  a decided  English  accent.  “ From  New  York? 
Oh,  dear,  there  must  be  some  mistake ! This  vessel 
did  not  come  from  New  York.  It  is  an  English 
vessel  bound  from  London  to  Bombay.  You  were 
evidently  put  on  this  ship  by  mistake  instead  of  the 
government  vessel  from  New  York,  which  lay  just 
alongside  of  us  and  looked  quite  like  our  ship.” 


42 


UNCLE  SAM'S  CHILDREN 


“ But  can’t  we  go  on  shore  and  go  back  to  our  own 
vessel  ? ” asked  Miss  Dennison  in  alarm. 

“ Quite  impossible,  miss,”  was  the  reply.  “ This 
ship  is  sailing  under  strict  orders,  and  will  not  make 
land  again  until  it  reaches  Bombay.” 

“ The  work  of  Wallace  Addison,”  said  Miss  Den- 
nison, turning  to  her  companion.  “ It  was  Wallace 
Addison’s  words  that  sent  our  boatman  to  this  ship. 
The  voice  affected  me  strangely  when  I heard  it,  but 
exhausted  as  I was  I did  not  for  the  moment  recog- 
nize it,  as  I do  now  that  I have  seen  its  meaning.” 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  agpearan.ee  of  the  two  young  ladies  on  the 
British  steamer  Baboo , bound  for  Bombay,  caused 
a momentary  flurry  among  certain  persons  on  board 
that  good  ship.  True,  the  matter  of  a couple  of  pas- 
sengers more  or  less  was  no  serious  affair  to  the 
officials  of  a steamer  capable  of  carrying  a suf- 
ficient number  of  persons  to  populate  a good-sized 
village ; but  it  happened  that  there  had  been  on  board 
that  ship  a couple  of  young  ladies  who  were  unwit- 
tingly left  behind  when  the  steamer  pulled  up  her 
anchor  and  so  unceremoniously  sailed  out  of  the 
harbor  of  Port  Said.  These  two  ladies  had  been 
placed  in  charge  of  an  officer  of  the  steamer  on  his 
departure  from  London  with  the  explanation  that 
they  desired  to  make  a quick  voyage  to  Singapore 
to  meet  some  members  of  their  family  who  would 
arrive  at  that  place  on  a certain  day,  and  as  there 
was  no  steamer  leaving  direct  for  Singapore,  it  had 
been  planned  that  they  should  go  by  the  Baboo  to 
Bombay,  take  rail  thence  across  India  to  Calcutta, 
4 43 


44 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


and  there  catch  a certain  steamer  leaving  for  Singa- 
pore, due  to  arrive  at  that  place  on  the  appointed 
date.  These  ladies  had  gone  on  shore  at  Port  Said 
in  the  morning  of  that  eventful  day  with  the  under- 
standing that  they  would  return  in  the  early  evening, 
and  the  officer,  whose  duties  were  numerous  and 
pressing,  had  given  orders  that  the  vessel  should 
hoist  anchor  and  sail  the  moment  they  put  foot  on 
the  deck ; and  his  subordinates,  seeing  Miss  Denni- 
son and  Miss  Saxton  clamber  on  board  soon  after  the 
appointed  hour,  assumed  that  their  arrival  was  the 
signal  for  departure  and  acted  accordingly. 

It  was  an  awkward  dilemma  for  the  young  subor- 
dinate. The  ship  had  waited  beyond  her  appointed 
time  for  leaving  Port  Said  to  permit  the  return  of 
the  two  ladies,  and  now  that  he  knew  that  they  were 
not  on  board  he  was  puzzled  as  to  his  duty  in  the 
matter.  It  was  quite  out  of  the  question  to  ask  the 
captain  to  return  to  Port  Said  to  await  further  in- 
structions or  institute  search  for  the  missing  pas- 
sengers ; and  there  was  really  no  obligation  for  him 
to  do  so,  for  they  had  delayed  their  return  beyond 
the  horn’  fixed  for  the  departure  of  the  vessel.  Yet 
he  felt  a certain  obligation  with  reference  to  them, 
and  now  that  he  found  that  they  were  not  on  board 
the  ship,  he  took  hurried  counsel  with  himself  as  to 
his  duty  in  the  matter. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


45 


“ It  is  really  a very  awkward  affair,”  he  said  to 
Miss  Dennison,  whom  he  had  interviewed  when  the 
news  of  the  curious  exchange  of  passengers  reached 
him.  “ The  ladies  who  occupied  this  room  had 
barely  time  to  make  the  trip  to  Singapore  by  the 
Bombay-Calcutta  route,  and  now  that  they  have 
missed  this  ship  and  are  left  among  strangers  at  Port 
Said  I don’t  know  what  they  will  do ; and  as  for 
keeping  their  engagement  at  Singapore,  of  course  it 
will  be  quite  out  of  the  question.  I don’t  see  how  it 
was  that  they  failed  to  get  here  anyway,  for  I im- 
pressed upon  them  the  fact  that  we  must  leave 
promptly  at  the  hour  named,  and  they  assured  me 
that  they  would  return  in  ample  time.” 

“ Perhaps  they  met  with  some  accident  which  has 
delayed  them,”  said  Miss  Dennison.  “ I remember 
hearing  two  ladies  talking  as  they  were  taking  an- 
other boat,  just  when  we  were  getting  our  baggage 
at  Port  Said,  and  I heard  one  of  them  say  that  they 
had  been  delayed  by  a misunderstanding  of  their 
guide,  and  that  they  must  hurry  or  they  would  not 
catch  their  ship.  I remember,  too,  seeing  them  some 
distance  ahead  of  us  as  we  were  being  rowed  out 
among  the  ships,  and  that  a man  who  looked  like 
their  boatman  was  just  pulling  his  empty  boat  away 
from  the  ship  at  which  we  first  stopped  and  which 
I supposed  was  our  American  steamer.” 


46 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ That  probably  explains  it,”  said  the  officer. 
“ Did  one  of  them  wear  a big  yellow  hat  with  a white 
veil  ? ” 

“ Precisely,”  said  Miss  Dennison ; “ and  her  com- 
panion wore  a gray  traveling  suit  and  a hat  with 
ribbons  to  match.” 

“ Perhaps,”  said  the  officer.  “ That’s  too  much 
for  me,  but  I remember  the  yellow  hat  with  the 
white  veil.” 

“ And  I remember  seeing  the  yellow  hat  and  the 
gray  traveling  suit  passing  up  the  steps  of  the  vessel 
which  we  thought  was  our  own,  but  from  which  we 
were  sent  to  this  one,”  said  Miss  Saxton. 

“ That’s  about  the  size  of  it,  then,”  said  Assistant- 
Purser  Cathcart,  for  he  had  introduced  himself  as 
the  assistant  purser  of  the  Baboo.  “ That’s  about 
the  size  of  it.  I’ll  bet  that  these  two  English  girls 
went  on  board  your  American  vessel  and  did  not 
discover  their  mistake  until  after  the  ship  had  sailed ; 
for  really  the  two  ships  have  a very  similar  appear- 
ance, even  to  the  trained  eye  of  the  sailor,  and  must 
be  even  more  so  to  the  landsman.” 

“ But  what  are  we  going  to  do  about  it  ? ” said 
Miss  Dennison.  “ It  is  all  very  well  to  philosophize 
about  how  it  happened,  but  what  we  want  to  know  is 
how  it  can  be  remedied.” 

“ That  is  a pretty  serious  problem,”  said  the  pur- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


47 


ser.  “ How  far  were  you  going  by  the  vessel  you 
were  on  ? ” 

u To  the  Philippines/’  said  both  the  young  ladies, 
answering  at  once.  “ We  are  going  there  as  school- 
teachers, and  were  to  have  gone  all  the  way  on  the 
ship  on  which  we  sailed  from  Hew  York.  Our 
vessel  was  to  stop  over  a day  or  two  at  Colombo, 
Ceylon,  and  arrive  at  Singapore  about  August  10th.” 

“ By  George,  I have  it ! ” said  the  purser  ex- 
citedly. “ That’s  the  very  date  that  the  ladies  who 
were  with  us  expected  to  reach  Singapore  if  they 
went  by  way  of  Bombay  and  Calcutta.  I have  a 
plan,  and  one  that  will  work  out  all  right  if  every- 
thing goes  smoothly.  I’ll  send  a telegram  from  the 
next  canal  station  to  the  purser  of  your  ship,  telling 
him  to  take  the  ladies  through  to  Singapore  with  him, 
and  we  will  take  you  with  us  to  Bombay,  put  you  on 
board  the  train  for  Calcutta,  where  you  will  take  the 
same  steamer  on  which  the  other  ladies  had  engaged 
passage,  and  arrive  at  Singapore  as  soon  as  they  do.” 

“ But  suppose  we  should  be  a day  or  even  a few 
hours  late  in  arriving  there,”  said  Miss  Dennison. 
“ If  so,  we  should  miss  our  steamer  and  be  left  there 
indefinitely.” 

“ Well,”  said  the  purser  with  a smile,  “ you  have 
missed  your  steamer  already,  it  seems  to  me,  and  I 
see  no  other  way  than  for  you  to  race  across  the 


48 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


Arabian  Sea  to  Bombay,  across  India  by  land,  and 
across  the  Bay  of  Bengal  to  Singapore,  and  take 
your  chances  on  catching  her.  However,  your 
chances  are  pretty  good,  for  the  monsoons  are  on 
now  and  the  American  ship  will  make  pretty  slow 
time  going  from  Aden  to  Colombo.” 

“ The  monsoons ! ” said  Miss  Saxton  nervously. 
“ Oh,  dear,  what  shall  we  do  ? I’m  afraid  we  shall 
all  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.” 

“ Oh,”  said  the  purser,  “ don’t  worry  about  the 
monsoons.  They  are  merely  a strong,  steady  wind 
blowing  towards  the  shores  of  India.  Monsoons  are 
not  serious,  but  just  wait  until  you  get  into  a ty- 
phoon. Then  look  out.” 

“ But  about  the  trip  across  India  and  that  by 
steamer  from  Calcutta,”  said  Miss  Dennison.  “ I’m 
afraid  that  will  be  too  expensive  for  us.  You  see, 
we  are  just  plain  country  school-teachers,  and  the 
trip  through  India  will  be  more  than  we  can  afford.” 

“ Hot  at  all,”  said  the  purser.  “ The  ladies  who 
occupied  this  room  left  their  through  tickets  with 
me,  for  they  didn’t  want  to  carry  them  on  shore ; and 
they  will  be  quite  willing  to  give  them  up  to  you 
if  they  get  through  transportation  on  your  vessel  to 
Singapore.  Indeed,  I heard  them  say  that  they  pre- 
ferred going  via  Colombo,  because  they  had  already 
been  in  India  but  had  never  been  in  Ceylon,  and 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


49 


I am  sure  they  will  welcome  the  exchange,  especially 
as  your  vessel  is  to  stop  there  a day  or  two.  I’ll  go 
and  send  a telegram  right  away,  for  we  are  nearing 
a telegraph  station  on  the  bank  of  the  canal,  and  we’ll 
get  an  answer  at  Suez,  the  little  town  at  the  southern 
end  of  the  canal,  or  at  Aden,  at  the  southern  end  of 
the  Red  Sea.  Meantime  I’ll  send  the  steward  to  put 
the  stateroom  in  order  and  take  charge  of  the  belong- 
ings of  the  other  ladies,  and  you  can  take  their  bag- 
gage right  through  with  you  and  deliver  it  to  them 
at  Singapore.  You  must  make  yourselves  at  home 
here,  and  I’ll  see  that  you  are  properly  cared  for 
when  you  get  to  Bombay.” 

There  was  nothing  for  the  young  ladies  to  do  but 
to  accept  the  situation.  They  could  not  leave  the 
vessel,  which  was  moving  as  rapidly  as  the  rules  of 
the  canal  would  permit,  and  even  if  they  were  to  do 
so,  there  was  no  reason  to  suppose  that  they  could 
intercept  their  own  ship  when  she  might  come  along 
a few  hours  later.  So  they  took  possession  of  the 
stateroom,  which  Miss  Saxton  declared  was  so  like 
the  one  on  their  own  vessel  that  she  felt  quite  at 
home  in  it. 

“ Mow  lucky  that  we  had  our  handbags  with  us ! ” 
said  Miss  Dennison.  “ Their  contents  will  help  us 
out  until  we  arrive  at  Bombay,  and  if  we  can’t  get 
any  fresh  clothing  of  our  own  sort  there,  we  can 


50 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


dress  like  the  East  Indians  until  we  get  to  Singapore 
and  meet  our  own  ship  again.” 

The  breakfast  gong  aroused  them  early  the  next 
morning,  and  as  they  stepped  from  the  stateroom 
they  met  the  purser,  whose  face  was  wreathed  in 
smiles. 

“ It  is  all  right,”  he  said,  as  he  produced  a tele- 
gram. “ This  message  from  my  friend,  the  purser 
on  your  vessel,  says  that  the  ladies  came  on  board 
that  ship  thinking  it  was  their  own,  and  did  not  dis- 
cover their  mistake  until  after  wye  had  left.  They 
were  still  consulting  as  to  what  they  should  do  when 
he  received  my  telegram,  and  they  were  only  too  glad 
to  make  the  arrangement  to  go  to  Singapore  by  that 
vessel,  especially  as  they  wanted  to  stop  a day  or  two 
at  Colombo,  which  they  could  not  have  done  if  they 
had  remained  with  us.” 

So  the  young  ladies  settled  down  for  the  long  voy- 
age down  the  Red  Sea  and  across  the  Indian  Ocean. 
The  passage  through  the  Red  Sea  was  very  uncom- 
fortable, for  the  heat  was  intense ; but  the  obliging 
purser  siipplied  them  with  an  electric  fan  in  their 
stateroom,  which  somewhat  reduced  the  discomfort. 
Then  they  passed  the  little  British  fortress  of  Aden, 
which  seemed  like  a white  sentry  box  perched  upon 
the  rocks  that  overlook  the  southern  entrance  to  the 
Red  Sea,  and  passed  out  into  that  arm  of  the  Indian 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


51 


Ocean  known  as  the  Arabian  Sea,  where  they  found 
a strong,  steady  wind  blowing  from  the  southwest, 
which,  they  were  informed,  was  the  monsoon. 

“ You  see,”  said  the  purser,  “ the  heat  in  India 
and  the  desert  country  at  the  north  is  very  great  at 
this  time  of  the  year,  and  the  air  being  heated  rises, 
and  the  air  from  the  ocean  rushes  in  to  take  its 
place.  That  is  what  causes  this  strong  wind  toward 
India.  And  it  is  a good  thing  for  that  country,  for 
it  gives  it  plenty  of  rain,  especially  in  the  western 
part  of  India.  The  air  over  the  ocean  is  full  of 
moisture,  due  to  the  rapid  evaporation  of  the  water 
by  reason  of  the  great  heat,  and  as  the  current  of 
air  reaches  the  western  coast  of  India,  it  comes  in 
contact  with  the  mountains  along  the  western  coast 
and  is  forced  upward  and  meets  the  cooler  air  of 
the  mountain  tops.  The  coolness  condenses  the  mois- 
ture in  the  air,  and  it  falls  in  the  form  of  rain,  cool- 
ing the  air  and  giving  a water  supply  for  agriculture. 

At  the  end  of  a week  they  saw  the  beautiful  city 
of  Bombay,  with  its  temples  and  towers  and  many 
handsome  structures  rising  before  them.  As  they 
neared  the  water  front  of  the  city,  which  the  purser 
explained  was  known  as  the  “ Bund,”  the  vessel 
stopped,  and  the  medical  officers  came  on  board  to 
examine  the  passengers  and  see  if  there  were  any 
contagious  diseases  among  them. 


52 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ You  will  have  this  experience  wherever  you  go 
on  shipboard,”  explained  the  purser ; “ but  it  is  not  a 
matter  for  any  anxiety.  The  doctors  will  just  stand 
you  up  in  line  with  all  the  other  people  on  board 
and  feel  your  pulse,  and  then  it  will  all  be  over.” 

In  a few  minutes  they  were  on  the  little  steam 
launch  which  carried  them  to  the  docks.  Then  there 
was  an  informal  examination  of  their  baggage,  and, 
after  being  asked  the  usual  question  as  to  whether 
it  contained  any  tobacco  or  spirits,  to  which  the 
young  ladies  replied  with  an  indignant  negative,  it 
was  seized  by  one  of  the  crowd  of  waiting  porters. 

“ Take  it  to  the  gerry,”  said  the  purser,  “ and  tell 
the  gerry  wallali  to  wait  until  I come.  How  if  you 
ladies  will  just  follow  this  man  and  take  a seat  in 
the  gerry,  I’ll  be  with  you  soon ; but  don’t  let  the 
gerry  wallah  go  until  I get  there.” 

“ The  gerry  1 ” said  Miss  Dennison.  “ I don’t 
know  what  a gerry  is  or  a gerry  wallah.” 

“ Oh,  no,  of  course  you  don’t,”  said  the  purser 
with  a laugh.  “ I forget  that  you  are  not  acquainted 
in  India.  Well,  the  gerry  is  the  name  of  the  car- 
riage which  will  take  you  to  the  railway  station,  and 
the  wallah  is  the  driver.” 

As  they  took  their  seats  in  the  little  low  carriage 
drawn  by  small  ponies,  they  found  themselves  sur- 
rounded by  a throng  of  men  and  women  with  dark 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


53 


skins,  the  men  wearing  white  turbans  and  a curious 
costume — loose  white  garments  reaching  from  the 
shoulders  to  the  thighs,  while  a long  piece  of  white 
cloth  fastened  about  the  waist  fell  halfway  to  the 
feet,  and,  drawn  between  the  legs  and  knotted  at 
the  waist,  formed  a loose  covering  for  the  legs  to  the 
knees,  below  which  the  slender  legs  and  feet  were 
without  covering.  They  grouped  themselves  about 
the  carriage,  speaking  in  a language  which  the  ladies 
did  not  understand,  gesticulating,  and  apparently 
offering  their  services  in  various  capacities. 

“ These  people,”  said  the  purser,  coming  up  a few 
minutes  later,  “ want  to  know  if  you  would  like  to 
employ  them.  This  woman  in  the  white  costume  is 
an  ayah , or  maidservant,  and  that  garment  which 
falls  so  gracefully  from  her  shoulder  across  her  breast 
is  the  sarong,  of  which  you  have  doubtless  read. 
This  man  in  the  white  turban  and  loose  trousers  is 
a dhobie,  or  washerman,  and  wants  to  know  if  you 
desire  any  laundry  work  done.  This  woman  with 
the  earthenware  jar  on  her  head  is  a milkmaid,  and 
would  like  the  privilege  of  serving  goat’s  milk  to  you 
if  you  desire  it,  or  perhaps  the  milk  of  the  buffalo, 
or  the  sacred  cow.” 

But  there  was  no  time  to  obtain  the  services  of 
ayahs  or  dhobies,  much  as  they  might  be  desired, 
and  the  little  carriage  whirled  them  off  to  the  railway 


54 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


station.  As  they  passed  through  the  streets,  they  en- 
countered many  sights  that  were  new  and  strange  to 
them.  Long  lines  of  carts  were  being  drawn  along 
the  streets  by  oxen  having  each  a curious  hump  at 
the  shoulders,  the  yokes  fastened  with  stout  ropes  to 
their  horns. 

“ Why,  these  oxen  look  just  like  the  sacred  ox 
which  we  saw  in  the  zoological  park,”  said  Miss 
Saxton. 

“ That’s  just  what  they  are,”  said  the  purser. 
“ Nearly  all  the  cattle  in  India  are  of  the  type  which 
you  see  shown  in  the  zoological  gardens  and  labeled 
‘ sacred  cow  ’ or  ‘ sacred  ox.’  The  Hindoo  religion 
looks  upon  them  as  sacred,  especially  the  white  ones, 
hut  that  does  not  prevent  the  use  of  most  of  them  as 
work  animals.” 

As  they  passed  through  the  streets  they  saw  many 
people,  evidently  Europeans,  riding  in  handsome 
carriages,  with  drivers  in  strange  costumes  on  the 
box,  and,  perched  on  a step  at  the  rear,  another  serv- 
ant, holding  in  his  hand  a stick  with  a brush  of  long 
hair  at  the  end.  As  the  carriage  prepared  to  halt, 
this  footman  sprang  nimbly  from  his  perch,  ran 
alongside  the  horse,  and  as  he  stopped  remained 
standing  at  his  head,  swinging  the  brush  vigorously 
to  drive  away  the  flies  which  gather  in  great  num- 
bers about  the  animals. 


WASH  DAY  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


55 


“ These  white  people  whom  you  see  here,”  said  the 
purser,  “ are  English  officers  and  their  families. 
India  is,  you  know,  an  English  colony,  and  about 
100,000  white  people  live  here  in  India ; some  of 
them  are  English  officers  sent  out  to  administer  the 
government,  some  are  the  families  of  the  officers, 
and  others  are  English  or  other  Europeans  engaged 
in  trade  here ; for  India  is  a great  commercial  coun- 
try now  that  the  English  have  built  30,000  miles  of 
railway  and  150,000  miles  of  roads  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  country.” 

As  they  passed  from  the  English  section  into  that 
part  of  the  city  occupied  by  the  natives,  they  found 
a marked  change.  The  handsome,  modern  structures 
which  lined  the  “ Bund,”  or  embankment  along  the 
water  front,  were  no  longer  seen,  but  in  their  places 
were  low,  flat  buildings  with  little  shops  fronting 
upon  narrow  sidewalks,  while  the  street  was  crowded 
with  natives  in  white  costumes,  passing  in  all  direc- 
tions and  filling  the  street  so  completely  that  it  was 
only  with  great  difficulty  that  the  carriage  made  its 
way  among  them.  The  driver  shouted  constantly  in 
an  unknown  tongue,  cracking  his  whip  loudly  and 
gesticulating  to  those  who  gave  attention,  sometimes 
halting  to  prevent  running  over  a group  of  women 
and  children,  sometimes  administering  a sharp  cut 
of  the  lash  to  some  venturesome  cooly  who  doggedly 


56 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


plodded  on  with  his  burden,  giving  no  heed  to  the 
claims  of  the  vehicle  to  right  of  way  in  the  roadway. 

“ These  people/’  explained  the  purser,  “ don't 
mind  being  run  over.  Indeed,  they  sometimes  watch 
their  opportunities  to  fall  under  the  wheels  of  the 
carriages  of  the  people  of  wealth,  believing  that  they 
will  be  able  to  get  money  from  them  as  a compensa- 
tion for  their  injuries.” 

Plunging  further  into  the  native  section  of  the  city 
they  encountered  more  peculiarities  of  Oriental  life. 
Groups  of  comfortable-looking  cows  and  dignified 
goats  lay  in  the  shady  spots  upon  the  sidewalks, 
while  the  natives  walked  in  the  blazing  sun  in  the 
middle  of  the  street.  At  intervals  they  saw  Moham- 
medan mosques,  with  people  bowing  in  the  open 
space  at  the  front  or  prostrating  themselves  before 
their  shrines.  At  other  places  there  were  Buddhist 
temples,  in  which  the  religious  ceremonies  are  per- 
formed chiefly  by  the  priests. 

“ This  place  which  we  are  now  passing,  with  the 
high  wall  about  it,”  said  the  purser,  “ is  a burning 
ghat.  Here  the  Hindoo  dead  are  disposed  of  by 
burning.  The  body  is  laid  on  a heap  of  dry  wood, 
and  more  wood  is  piled  on  top  of  it,  and  then  the 
nearest  relative  applies  the  torch  and  the  body  is 
consumed.  Millions  of  dead  are  disposed  of  in  this 
manner,  but  whenever  it  is  possible  the  relatives 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


57 


gather  the  ashes  of  the  body  and  place  them  in  a 
small  receptacle  for  the  purpose  of  sending  them  to 
be  thrown  into  the  sacred  river,  the  Ganges.” 

“ What  a strange  and  terrible  custom ! ” said  Miss 
Dennison. 

“ Yes,  but  not  nearly  so  strange  as  that  which  is 
practiced  on  that  hill  overlooking  the  city.  If  you 
will  look  carefully  at  the  top  of  that  hill,  you  will 
see  several  white  towers  rising  among  the  trees. 
These  are  called  the  ‘ towers  of  silence,’  and  are  the 
places  in  which  the  Parsees  place  their  dead  to  be 
eaten  by  vultures.  The  Parsees  were  originally  Per- 
sians, who,  driven  out  of  their  country  by  perse- 
cution, came  to  Bombay  to  live  hundreds  of  years 
ago,  and  their  descendants  have  become  a very  intelli- 
gent and  valuable  element  of  the  population  here. 
They  are  merchants  and  bankers,  and  many  of  them 
have  great  wealth  and  are  very  public-spirited  citi- 
zens, taking  great  pride  in  the  fact  that  no  Parsee  is 
ever  seen  asking  charity.  But  they  cling  to  that 
strange  custom  of  the  disposal  of  their  dead,  a custom 
which  they  follow  wherever  they  are  found  in  the 
Orient,  from  Persia  to  China.” 

As  he  said  this,  their  gerry  stopped  in  front  of 
a large  and  handsome  structure,  built  in  the  Italian 
Gothic  style,  with  fine  arcades  and  a lofty  dome. 

“ This,”  said  the  purser,  “ is  the  railway  station 


58 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


of  the  road  which  will  take  you  to  Calcutta.  It  is 
one  of  the  finest  railway  stations  in  the  world,  and 
cost  about  $1,500,000.  We  will  go  to  the  booking 
office  and  arrange  about  your  train.  But  before  we 
go  we  must  get  some  of  your  money  changed  into  the 
kind  which  they  use  here.”  And  he  stopped  at  an 
office  set  aside  for  that  purpose,  and  soon  the  ladies 
were  provided  with  a quantity  of  Indian  currency. 

“ This  coin,”  said  the  purser,  exhibiting  a silver 
coin  about  the  size  of  an  American  half-dollar,  “ is 
the  rupee.  Its  value  is  about  thirty-three  cents  and  it 
is  the  standard  currency  here,  just  as  the  dollar  is 
the  standard  in  the  United  States.  The  rupee  is 
divided  into  smaller  silver  coins.  Sixteen  annas 
equal  one  rupee,  so  that  one  anna  is  equal  to  about 
two  cents  of  American  money;  and  this  is  again 
subdivided  into  copper  coins  called  ‘ pice,’  each  of 
which  is  equal  to  about  one-half  of  one  cent ; while 
a still  smaller  copper  coin,  called  the  * pie,’  is  equal 
to  about  one-sixth  of  one  cent.” 

In  an  hour  the  young  ladies  found  themselves  in 
a compartment  of  the  train  which  was  leaving  for 
Calcutta.  Their  traveling  companions  consisted  of 
two  intelligent  English  ladies,  who  were  glad  to  find 
in  these  two  American  girls  an  opportunity  to  talk 
of  America  and  its  people  and  life,  and  the  trip 
across  India,  although  usually  an  extremely  disagree- 


THE  TAJ  MAHAL. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


59 


able  one  in  summer,  passed  quickly  to  Miss  Denni- 
son and  her  companion.  The  sights  from  the  win- 
dows of  the  train  were  always  interesting,  with  their 
views  of  the  dense  population,  for  India,  although 
but  one  half  the  size  of  the  United  States,  has  a 
population  of  300,000,000.  The  stops  at  Delhi  and 
Agra  and  Lahore  and  Lucknow  were  of  such  length 
as  to  permit  a hurried  drive,  with  their  English 
companions,  among  the  beautiful  buildings  and  a 
glimpse  of  the  Taj  Mahal  at  Agra  and  the  wonder- 
ful structures  of  the  other  cities,  which  repaid  them 
for  the  discomforts  of  the  long  hours  occupied  in 
the  trip,  while  the  country  people,  with  their  ele- 
phants and  buffaloes  and  other  domestic  animals, 
differing  from  those  to  which  the  young  ladies  were 
accustomed,  were  subjects  of  constant  interest. 

On  the  morning  of  the  second  day  their  train 
arrived  in  Calcutta,  and  the  door  of  their  railway 
carriage  was  opened  by  a smiling  official  in  uniform, 
who  inquired  for  Miss  Dennison  and  Miss  Saxton. 

“ I am  the  assistant  purser  of  the  steamer  Rajah” 
he  said,  “ and  we  are  to  sail  for  Singapore  in  just 
one  hour.  I received  a telegram  from  my  friend,  the 
assistant  purser  of  the  Baboo,  telling  me  about  you 
and  asking  me  to  meet  you  here.” 

There  was  a hurried  rush  for  the  gerry,  a hasty 

drive  through  the  streets  of  Calcutta,  in  which  the 
5 


60 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


scenes  of  their  drive  through  Bombay  were  repeated 
with  variations,  and  in  an  hour  they  were  on  board 
the  Rajah,  whose  propellers  began  to  revolve,  and 
soon  the  city  passed  from  view  and  India  was  a 
memory. 

Six  days  later  they  found  their  steamer  threading 
its  way  among  a succession  of  tropical  islands,  and 
as  it  swung  round  a sharp  promontory  a beautiful 
city  nestling  in  a great  tropical  forest  suddenly  came 
into  view,  the  hills  in  the  background  covered  with 
fresh  spring-like  verdure,  the  harbor  filled  with 
steamers  and  sailing  vessels  and  rowboats  of  curious 
pattern,  and  the  broad  streets  crowded  with  busy, 
hurrying  people  in  strange  and  varied  costumes. 

“ Singapore,”  said  the  purser,  who  passed  near 
where  the  two  young  ladies  were  standing. 

“ Singapore  ? ” said  Miss  Dennison.  “ Can  it  be 
possible  that  such  a beautiful  and  inviting  place  as 
this  is  Singapore,  almost  under  the  equator  ? But 
where  is  our  steamer  ? I do  not  see  the  American 
flag  among  all  these  vessels  lying  in  the  harbor.” 

“ No,”  said  the  purser;  “ I’m  sorry  to  have  to  tell 
you  that  your  steamer  has  beaten  us  by  a few  hours 
and  is  now  on  its  way  to  China  and  the  Philippines. 
I just  saw  it  with  my  glass,  turning  round  the  point 
and  heading  toward  the  China  Sea.” 


CHAPTER  V 

The  consternation  of  the  two  young  American 
girls,  when  they  found  that  their  vessel  had  departed, 
can  better  be  imagined  than  described. 

“ What  shall  we  do,  Sallie  ? ” said  Miss  Saxton. 
“ Here  we  are  at  Singapore,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  globe  from  our  own  home,  at  the  very  equator, 
with  not  a friend  or  acquaintance  in  this  strange 
city,  or  within  ten  thousand  miles.” 

“ I do  not  know,  F annie,”  said  Miss  Dennison. 
“ But  we  must  do  something.  Suppose  we  go  and  see 
if  we  can  find  the  people  who  took  our  places  on  our 
own  steamer  and  whose  places  "we  took  on  the  way 
through  India.  We  have  been  traveling  with  their 
baggage  so  long  it  seems  as  though  we  were  ac- 
quainted with  them.  Perhaps  the  purser  will  advise 
us  how  to  find  them.” 

“ That  will  be  easy,”  said  the  purser  when  he  was 
consulted.  “ The  baggage  of  the  young  women  whose 
place  you  took  on  the  trip  from  Port  Said  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  Raffles  Hotel  in  Singapore,  and  you 

61 


62 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


will  doubtless  find  them  there.  I’ll  just  go  ashore 
wdth  you  and  get  you  a couple  of  ’rickshaws,  and  you 
can  go  right  up  to  the  hotel  and  find  them.” 

In  a few  minutes  they  were  on  the  dock  and  the 
purser  had  called  a couple  of  half-clad,  dark-skinned 
men,  who  came  running  at  his  call,  each  one  pulling 
a curious  vehicle  which  looked  exactly  like  an  over- 
grown baby  carriage. 

“ Now  just  get  in,”  said  the  purser,  pointing  to 
the  big  baby  carriages,  “ and  these  men  will  have  you 
at  the  hotel  in  a few  minutes.” 

“ What ! ” gasped  Miss  Dennison.  “ Get  into 
these  things  to  be  drawn  by  men  ? ” 

“ Certainly,”  said  the  purser  with  a smile.  “ It 
is  the  chief  method  of  travel  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
and  you  will  have  to  get  used  to  it  soon.  You  might 
as  well  begin  at  once.  You  see,”  he  said,  pointing  to 
the  line  of  jinrikishas  passing,  “ that  it  is  quite 
the  fashion.” 

And  so  it  was,  for  in  the  stream  of  these  curious 
vehicles  which  flowed  along  the  crowded  street  were 
all  classes  of  people — officers  in  uniforms,  merchants 
in  white  business  suits  and  cork  helmets,  daintily 
dressed  ladies  with  fresh  English  complexions,  pros- 
perous-looking Chinamen,  and  gorgeously  dressed 
East  Indians — riding  contentedly  along  the  crowded 
street,  drawn  by  men  dressed  in  loose  coats  and  short 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


63 


trousers,  their  bare  legs  showing  well-developed  mus- 
cles through  the  brown  skin,  and  their  heads  protected 
by  broad  hats  of  umbrella  size  and  shape. 

“ It  seems  so  queer,  Sallie,”  said  Miss  Saxton, 
clambering  into  the  vehicle  which  had  been  assigned 
to  her,  “ to  have  a man  for  your  horse  and  no  reins 
to  drive  with,  either.  How  are  we  going  to  guide 
them  ? ” 

“ Just  tell  them  where  you  want  to  go  and  they 
will  do  the  rest,”  said  the  purser  as  the  men  placed 
themselves  between  the  shafts  of  the  vehicles.  “ They 
can  understand  you,  for  this  is  an  English  colony, 
you  know,  and  most  of  the  business  people  speak  the 
English  language.” 

In  a few  moments  they  were  on  a broad  street 
lined  with  trees  which  they  recognized  as  palms  and 
bamboos,  while  the  great  bunches  of  bananas  which 
hung  from  others  suggested  their  variety.  The  men 
who  pulled  their  ’rickshaws  dashed  into  the  line  of 
rapidly  moving  vehicles,  and  taking  a steady  trot 
moved  with  the  current  of  strangely  costumed  human- 
ity. Here  was  a man  with  skin  as  black  as  a coal, 
his  head  surmounted  by  a huge  white  turban,  sitting 
with  folded  arms  and  dignified  attitude  in  a carriage 
drawn  by  a handsome  team,  the  driver  clad  in  a 
striking  uniform  of  white  trimmed  with  red  and 
yellow,  while  the  footman  in  similar  costume,  perched 


64 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


at  the  rear,  jumped  nimbly  from  his  place  and  ran 
alongside  the  horse  at  intervals  as  the  crowd  grew 
more  dense.  Curious  little  box-shaped  vehicles  each 
drawn  by  a diminutive  pony  hurried  through  the 
crowd,  the  driver  sitting  on  the  shaft  just  at  the  rear 
of  the  pony  and  plying  the  whip  as  they  went,  while 
through  the  latticed  windows  of  one  of  the  vehicles 
Sallie  caught  sight  of  a richly  dressed  Chinaman  loll- 
ing comfortably  back  in  his  seat.  In  a jinrikisha 
drawn  by  two  uniformed  men  and  followed  by  a 
runner  a high  official  of  the  colony  was  riding  from 
his  home  to  his  day’s  duties.  At  intervals  along 
the  street  stood  tall,  military-looking  policemen  with 
dark  skins,  their  bushy  beards  parted  in  the  middle 
and  rolled  tightly  along  the  side  of  the  face,  their 
heads  surmounted  by  turbans  of  alternate  red  and 
brown.  The  pullers  of  the  jinrikishas  ran  steadily 
with  the  moving  throng,  wiping  the  perspiration 
from  their  faces,  shouting  hoarsely  to  those  about 
them,  and  forcing  their  way  among  the  mass  of  men 
and  vehicles  that  crowded  the  street.  So  interested 
were  the  young  ladies  in  the  strange  sights  about 
them  that  they  were  quite  surprised  when  they  found 
their  vehicles  stopping  and  a stout,  brown-skinned 
man  in  gray  uniform  and  impressive  whiskers  stood 
bowing  at  their  side,  pronouncing  the  name  of  the 
hotel  and  assisting  them  to  alight. 


TRANSPORTATION'  METHODS  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


65 


“ Only  ten  cents  each,  ladies,”  he  said  in  very 
good  English,  as  he  saw  the  ladies  hesitate  as  to  what 
they  should  pay  the  patient  ’rickshaw  pullers. 

u But  these  men  have  been  running  a half-hour,” 
said  Miss  Saxton ; “ surely  they  ought  to  he  paid 
more  than  ten  cents  each  for  that  long  run.” 

“ That  is  the  regular  price,  madam ; ten  cents  for 
a half-hour — hut  wait  a moment,  please,  I see  that 
it  is  American  money  which  you  are  offering  them. 
Your  money  is  worth  about  double  that  which  is  used 
here,  and  so  you  need  pay  them  but  five  cents  each, 
for  five  cents  American  is  equal  to  ten  cents  Mex. 
You  see,”  he  added,  “ the  silver  money  in  circulation 
here  is  either  Mexican  dollars  or  other  silver  dollars 
of  about  the  same  value.  So  everything  is  calculated 
in  Mexican  money,  or  ‘ Mex,’  as  it  is  called  here. 
The  Mexican  silver  dollar,  you  know,  came  into  use 
in  China  a couple  of  hundred  years  ago,  when  there 
was  a great  trade  between  Mexico  and  the  Philippine 
Islands,  both  of  which  were  then  controlled  by  Spain, 
and  it  became  an  accepted  currency,  not  only  in 
China,  hut  all  along  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia.  Then 
the  British  Government,  seeing  that  a coin  of  that 
size  and  appearance  was  acceptable  among  the  natives, 
and  that  there  was  not  money  enough  for  the  busi- 
ness, coined  a lot  of  silver  dollars  for  its  colonies  in 
this  part  of  the  world,  and  as  these  silver  dollars  are 


66 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


about  the  same  in  value  and  general  appearance  as 
those  of  Mexico,  they  are  all  spoken  of  as  ‘ Mexican,’ 
which  has  been  contracted  to  ‘ Mex,’  and  you  will 
hear  prices  quoted  to  you  everywhere  in  ‘ Mex  ’ cur- 
rency. By  the  way,  you  should  get  some  of  your 
American  money  exchanged  for  1 Alex,’  for  it  is 
much  more  convenient  here;  the  money  changer  who 
sits  at  that  desk  yonder  will  change  it  for  you.” 

The  yellow-skinned  money  changer  salamed  as 
the  ladies  approached  his  desk,  and  looking  at 
the  two  ten-dollar  bills  which  they  laid  down  before 
him  turned  to  a little  wooden  frame  about  the  size 
of  an  ordinary  school  slate.  This  supported  a series 
of  parallel  wires  on  each  of  which  were  strung  a 
lot  of  wooden  disks,  like  beads  on  a string.  He 
pushed  these  wooden  disks  back  and  forth  rapidly 
for  a moment. 

“ Twenty-one  dollars,  forty-seven  cents  for  each 
ten-dollar  bill,”  he  said,  passing  out  a stack  of  silver 
dollars  to  each. 

“ But  I thought  we  got  only  two  for  one,”  said 
Miss  Dennison.  “ You  are  giving  us  more  than 
that.” 

“ Yes,”  he  said ; “ the  price  of  silver  is  low  to-day, 
and  so  you  get  more  than  two  silver  dollars  for  one 
American  dollar.  Last  month  it  was  high,  and  I 
could  only  give  one  dollar  and  ninety  cents  in  silver 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


67 


for  one  American  dollar.  You  see  I have  to  watch  the 
price  of  silver  every  day,  and  almost  every  hour,  and 
make  my  exchanges  entirely  in  accordance  with  that 
price.  The  banks  get  telegrams  from  London  every 
day,  telling  the  price  of  silver,  and  I get  it  from 
them  and  so  know  what  the  rate  of  exchange  is.” 

In  a few  moments  the  young  ladies  were  seated 
in  the  parlor  of  the  hotel  and  their  cards  had  been 
sent  to  the  Misses  Willoughby,  for  whom  they  had 
been  by  such  a curious  chance  exchanged  at  Port 
Said. 

As  they  took  their  seats  in  the  parlor,  a brown- 
faced attendant  clad  in  a snowy-white  costume  and 
huge  yellow  turban  rushed  quickly  to  the  door  shout- 
ing “ Punka-wallah  ! Punka-wallah ! ” 

“ I wonder  what  he  means  by  ‘ punky  wally,’  ” 
said  Miss  Saxton  nervously.  “ I hope  the  house  isn’t 
on  fire ! ” 

“ ISTo,  miss,”  said  the  attendant,  who  had  over- 
heard and  understood  her.  “ I only  called  the  boy 
to  pull  this  punka.”  And  he  pointed  to  several  long 
poles  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  from  each  of  which 
hung  broad  strips  of  heavy  cloth.  “ This  hoy  came 
from  India,  and  in  his  country  the  boy  who  pulls  the 
punka  is  called  ‘ punka-wallah .’  ” 

In  a moment  the  scantily  clad  East  Indian  youth 
had  made  his  appearance,  and  seizing  a cord  which 


68 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


was  attached  to  each  of  the  series  of  poles  pulled 
it  vigorously,  and  in  a moment  the  half-dozen  poles 
were  swinging  backward  and  forward  in  unison,  the 
broad  strips  of  heavy  cloth  suspended  from  them  act- 
ing as  a series  of  great  fans  and  setting  the  air  of 
the  room  in  motion.  This  proved  most  grateful  to  the 
young  women,  who  had  begun  to  realize  that  the  heat 
of  the  sun  at  the  equator  is  quite  different  from  that 
to  which  they  had  been  accustomed. 

“ I remember  seeing  these  things  swinging  from 
the  ceilings  of  some  of  the  buildings  we  passed  in 
Bombay  and  Calcutta,”  said  Miss  Dennison,  “ hut 
I didn’t  have  an  opportunity  to  ask ” 

“ Miss  Dennison  and  Miss  Saxton,”  said  a voice 
beside  them,  and  the  two  young  girls  turned  to  find 
themselves  face  to  face  with  two  young  women  whose 
complexions,  as  well  as  the  accent  of  the  already 
spoken  words,  suggested  that  they  were  English. 

“ We  are  so  glad  to  meet  you,”  said  one  of  them, 
extending  a hand  to  each,  u for  it  seems  as  though 
we  know  you  after  having  occupied  your  room  on  the 
American  vessel  so  long.” 

“ And  so  it  seems  to  us  about  yourselves,”  said 
Miss  Dennison,  extending  her  hand  in  response ; 
“ for  we  occupied  your  room  on  the  steamer  to  Bom- 
bay and  traveled  on  your  tickets  all  through  India 
and  from  Calcutta  to  this  place.  But  we  are  greatly 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


69 


disappointed  that  we  did  not  get  here  in  time  to 
catch  our  own  steamer,  for  I don’t  know  how  in  the 
world  we  are  to  get  to  the  Philippines  now  that  our 
ship  has  gone  without  us.” 

“ We  shall  have  to  see  what  can  be  done  about 
that,”  said  the  other  of  the  sisters,  who  had  not  yet 
spoken.  “ We  urged  the  captain  of  your  ship  to  wait, 
but  he  could  get  no  word  as  to  the  location  of  the  ship 
you  were  on,  as  the  wireless  telegraph  has  not  yet 
come  into  use  on  vessels  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and 
so  he  did  not  feel  justified  in  waiting.  But  we  have 
talked  it  over  with  our  father  whom  we  met  here,  and 
have  a plan  which  may  put  you  in  Manila  without 
serious  delay.” 

As  she  said  this,  a tall  ruddy-faced  man  clad  in  a 
costume  of  spotless  white,  with  brass  buttons  and 
shoulder  straps,  entered  the  room  and  was  quickly 
introduced  as  Captain  Willoughby. 

“ We  are  certainly  under  obligations  to  you  for 
looking  after  the  luggage  of  my  daughters  and  bring- 
ing it  safely  here  on  the  very  day  of  their  arrival,” 
he  said ; “ for  it  has  arrived  in  perfect  order.  My 
daughters  had  desired  to  visit  Ceylon,  and  the  ex- 
change of  places  gave  them  an  opportunity  to  do  so, 
however  unintentional  it  may  have  been  on  the  part 
of  either.” 

“ An  exchange  which  gave  us  an  opportunity  to 


70 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


visit  Bombay  and  Calcutta,  and  to  see  something  of 
the  people  and  interior  of  India,”  said  Miss  Denni- 
son ; “ all  of  which  would  have  been  quite  satisfac- 
tory if  it  had  not  resulted  in  leaving  us  alone  here 
among  strangers,  ten  thousand  miles  from  home.”^ 
And  her  voice  trembled  as  she  spoke,  and  she  burst 
into  tears,  for  this  adverse  culmination  of  the  long- 
period  of  anxiety  which  had  continued  during  the 
three  weeks’  voyage  from  Port  Said  to  Singapore 
was  more  than  she  could  bear  with  composure. 

“ Yes,”  said  the  captain,  “ it  does  doubtless  seem 
pretty  serious  to  you,  but  we  have  a plan  by  which 
I think  we  can  put  you  into  Manila  about  as  quickly 
and  comfortably  as  if  you  had  caught  your  own  ves- 
sel. You  see,  I am  captain  of  a ship  which  is  to 
leave  here  to-morrow  for  our  British  colony  in  the  Is- 
land of  Borneo.  Now  that  part  of  the  island  to  which 
we  are  going  is  only  a very  short  distance  from  the 
southern  end  of  the  Philippine  group.  My  daughters 
are  going  with  me  to  Borneo,  and  if  you  will  be  their 
guests  on  my  steamer  I shall  see  that  you  get  safely 
from  there  to  Manila  in  some  way.  I am  acquainted 
with  the  captains  of  several  of  the  vessels  which  run 
from  Manila  to  the  southern  islands  of  the  Philip- 
pine group,  and  will  arrange  with  some  of  them  to 
take  you  to  your  destination.  We  may  be  able  to 
find  a government  vessel  at  Jolo,  which  is  but  a 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


71 


short  distance  from  our  port  of  Sandakan  in  North 
Borneo,  to  which  we  are  going.  You  see,  we  Eng- 
lish and  Americans  are  pretty  near  neighbors,  even  on 
this  side  of  the  globe,  for  the  most  southerly  of  your 
Philippine  Islands  are  almost  in  sight  of  the  north- 
ern part  of  our  territory  in  Borneo;  and  if  you  will 
trust  yourselves  in  our  hands  we  shall  see  you  safely 
on  board  of  some  vessel  for  Manila,  and  yon  may  ar- 
rive there  before  the  steamer  on  which  you  left  New 
York.” 

“ But  how  about  those  horrible  Moros  of  whom  we 
have  heard  so  much  in  the  United  States  ? ” said 
Miss  Saxton.  “ That’s  the  very  part  of  the  islands 
where  they  live.” 

“ Oh,  you  need  not  be  alarmed  about  them,”  said 
the  captain  with  a laugh.  “ Yon  will  not  be  in  the 
slightest  danger  from  them ; I will  guarantee  that.” 

“ Then  I think  we  had  better  accept  your  kind 
offer  to  accompany  your  daughters  to  North  Borneo, 
and  your  own  promise  to  see  us  safely  on  a steamer 
there  for  Manila,”  said  Miss  Dennison. 

“ Good ! ” said  the  captain ; “ I am  glad  that  my 
daughters  will  have  your  company.  We  shall  leave 
this  hotel  in  an  hour  for  our  vessel,  and  be  ready  to 
sail  in  the  morning.  You  will  find  a stateroom 
ready  for  you  and  your  luggage  in  it ; for  I took  the 
liberty  of  asking  the  captain  of  your  steamer  to 


72 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


leave  it  for  you  when  we  found  that  the  steamer 
would  leave  before  your  arrival.  A matter  of  a 
couple  of  weeks  on  shipboard  and  you  will  be  in 
Manila.” 

“ Two  weeks  more  of  travel  on  the  ocean/’  said 
Miss  Saxton.  “ We  have  already  had  nearly  a month 
on  the  ocean — two  weeks  from  New  York  to  the  en- 
trance of  the  Suez  Canal,  three  days  on  the  canal 
and  the  Red  Sea,  five  or  six  days  across  that  arm  of 
the  Indian  Ocean  between  the  Red  Sea  and  the  west- 
ern coast  of  India,  and  six  days  more  on  that  other 
part  of  the  same  ocean  which  lies  between  Calcutta 
and  Singapore.  I never  realized  that  the  oceans 
were  so  large  or  so  much  of  the  globe  covered  with 
water,  even  though  geographies  do  tell  us  that  only 
about  one  fourth  of  the  world’s  surface  is  land.” 

“ Yes,”  said  the  captain,  “ and  a good  thing  it  is 
for  the  people  who  live  on  land  that  there  is  plenty 
of  ocean.  It  furnishes  the  means  of  exchange  of  the 
products  of  one  country  to  another,  and,  indeed,  fur- 
nishes the  products  themselves.” 

“ Why  do  you  say  that  it  furnishes  the  products  ? ” 
asked  Miss  Dennison. 

“ Because,”  he  replied,  “ without  the  water  from 
the  oceans  the  land  would  be  unproductive.” 

“ But  the  rains  furnish  the  water  for  the  land, 
don’t  they  ? ” said  Miss  Saxton. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


73 


“ Yes;  but  where  do  the  rains  come  from?  From 
the  ocean.  The  water  evaporated  from  the  oceans 
of  the  world  is  absorbed  by  the  air,  and  when  con- 
densed falls  again  in  the  form  of  rain.  Part  of  it 
runs  back  into  the  ocean  at  once,  another  part  is  ab- 
sorbed by  the  thirsty  ground  and  forms  the  millions 
of  springs  which  supply  the  rivers,  and  this  in  turn 
comes  back  to  the  sea  again,  carrying  the  salt  and 
other  materials  which  it  has  washed  out  of  the 
ground.  When  it  is  again  turned  into  vapor  and 
ascends  into  the  air,  it  leaves  in  the  ocean  the  salt 
and  other  materials  which  it  has  carried  there  and 
descends  on  the  land  as  pure  water,  purifying  the 
atmosphere  and  rendering  the  land  productive. 
Without  the  great  bodies  of  water  on  the  surface  of 
the  globe  there  could  be  no  rain  and  no  production 
from  the  land.  The  life  of  man  and  beast  is  de- 
pendent upon  it,  for,  besides  making  the  earth  pro- 
ductive, it  makes  the  atmosphere  fit  to  sustain  life. 
We  should  scarcely  be  able  to  live  here  at  this  spot, 
almost  on  the  equator,  but  for  the  tempering  effects  of 
the  air  from  the  ocean,  which  sweeps  over  the  land, 
carrying  the  moisture  which  falls  in  frequent  show- 
ers, and  gives  this  beautiful,  fresh  verdure  which  you 
see  on  every  hand.” 

“ You  spoke  of  the  salt  being  carried  from  the 
land  to  the  sea.  Do  you  mean  that  the  salt  which 


74 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


is  found  everywhere  in  the  ocean  has  been  carried 
from  the  land  ? ” asked  Miss  Dennison. 

“ Yes.  The  water  has  been  washing  the  land  for 
ages,  passing  in  the  form  of  vapor  from  the  ocean 
to  the  land,  falling  in  the  form  of  rain,  collecting 
small  particles  of  salt  and  other  materials  as  it  passes 
through  the  soil  and  disintegrates  the  rocks,  carrying 
them  into  the  ocean,  dissolved  in  the  water.  When 
the  water  evaporates  again  it  leaves  the  salt  in  the 
ocean  and  passes  in  the  form  of  vapor  again  to  the 
land,  and  after  it  falls  in  the  form  of  rain  again 
returns  charged  with  the  minerals  which  it  has  dis- 
solved in  its  contact  with  the  soil  and  rocks.  This 
has  gone  on  for  ages,  until  the  water  of  the  ocean 
now  contains  about  three  parts  of  salt  to  every  one 
hundred  parts  of  water ; so  that  we  may  say  that  salt 
forms  about  three  per  cent  of  the  liquid  on  which  we 
shall  to-morrow  set  out  for  Borneo.” 

When  the  young  ladies  awoke  the  next  morning, 
they  found  their  vessel  slowly  moving  out  of  the 
harbor  of  Singapore.  There  were  the  same  strange 
sights  which  they  had  witnessed  at  every  stopping 
place,  the  mass  of  craft  of  all  sorts  and  varieties, 
some  of  them  the  homes  of  the  natives  who  furnish 
the  labor  element  of  the  daily  life  of  Singapore,  some 
of  them  belonging  to  men  engaged  in  fishing  or  in 
transportation,  and  on  either  side  of  the  vessel  were 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


75 


little  rowboats  from  which  naked  boys  sprang  into 
the  water  and  swam  about,  clamoring  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  dive  for  coins  which  the  passengers  might 
throw  them.  The  harbor  was  quickly  passed,  the 
streets  and  buildings  and  spires  of  the  city  faded 
from  sight,  and  the  beautiful  green  hills  which  sur- 
rounded them  were  only  a memory. 

After  a few  moments  more  the  sky  became  overcast 
and  huge  masses  of  dark  clouds  appeared  in  the  hori- 
zon. The  young  ladies  sat  watching  the  flying  fish 
that  rose  from  the  water  at  the  bow  of  the  vessel 
and  sailed  gracefully  away  on  either  side,  touching 
the  crests  of  the  waves  as  they  went  and  obtaining  new 
impetus  from  their  contact  with  them,  when  a man 
in  the  uniform  of  a subordinate  officer  stepped  be- 
side the  captain,  who  stood  near,  and  saluting  him, 
said : “ I’m  sorry  to  tell  you,  sir,  that  the  glass  is 
falling  rapidly,  and  we  seem  to  be  heading  straight 
into  a typhoon.” 

“ A typhoon,  Sallie,”  whispered  Miss  Saxton. 
“ Do  you  remember  what  they  said  to  us  on  the  Red 
Sea  ? ‘ Don’t  worry  about  the  monsoons,  but  look 

out  for  the  typhoons  when  you  get  into  the  China 
Sea ! ’ ” 


6 


CHAPTEK  VI 


Those  who  have  encountered  these  great  revolving 
wind  storms  which  are  known  in  the  China  Sea  as 
the  “ typhoon,”  will  not  be  surprised  that  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  approach  of  such  a storm  brought 
anxiety  to  the  minds  of  the  captain  and  his  crew 
and  terror  to  those  of  his  passengers.  These  storms 
are  known  under  different  titles  in  many  parts  of 
the  world.  On  the  east  coast  of  South  America 
they  are  called  “ papagallos,”  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  “ trovados,”  among  the  Philippine  Islands 
“ baguios,”  on  the  Atlantic  “ hurricanes,”  along  the 
coast  of  China  “ taifung,”  in  the  Caribbean  Sea 
“ orican,”  on  the  Senegal  coast  “ tornados,”  on  the 
deserts  of  Africa  and  Arabia  “ simoons,”  and  in  the 
United  States  “ cyclones.” 

The  revolving  wind  storm,  by  whatever  name 
known,  is  more  powerful  and  more  dangerous  than 
any  other  form  of  atmospheric  disturbance.  The 
movement  of  the  air  which  surrounds  our  planet  is, 
under  normal  conditions,  one  of  the  most  interesting 
and  beautiful  of  the  phenomena  of  nature.  Spread- 

76 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


77 


ing  itself  over  the  surface  of  the  earth  and  extending 
upward  a distance  of  several  mile's,  it  completely  en- 
velops the  globe,  touching  every  part  of  its  surface. 
But  while  resting  upon  the  revolving  sphere  and 
participating  largely  in  the  eastward  movement  of 
its  surface,  it  is  never  at  rest.  That  part  over  the 
equatorial  regions,  being  more  directly  and  con- 
stantly heated  by  the  sun,  expands  and  rises.  This 
upward  movement  of  the  air  covering  that  section 
of  the  globe  causes  a partial  vacuum,  and  the  air 
from  either  side  rushes  in  to  fill  it  and  to  take  the 
place  of  the  air  which  moved  upward,  while  that  still 
farther  at  the  north  or  south  moves  forward  to  fill 
the  partial  vacuum  thus  created,  and  this  goes  on 
until  the  air  from  the  polar  regions  has  moved  toward 
and  finally  reached  the  equator,  to  be  in  its  turn 
heated  and  forced  upward.  Tfow,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  heated  air  which  rises  above  the  equatorial  re- 
gions moves  toward  the  poles  to  fill  the  partial  vac- 
uum due  to  the  movement  from  the  arctics  toward 
the  equator.  This  gives  a constant  circulatory  move- 
ment of  air  between  the  tropics  and  the  arctics: 
toward  the  equator  along  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
and  from  the  equator  again  at  a distance  of  perhaps 
two  or  three  miles  above  the  earth’s  surface. 

All  this  would  be  simple  and  regular  but  for  cer- 
tain other  and  somewhat  conflicting  conditions.  The 


78 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


surface  of  the  earth  at  the  equator  is  constantly  mov- 
ing toward  the  east  at  the  rate  of  1,050  miles  per 
hour.  While  the  air  which  rests  on  its  surface  par- 
takes in  a large  degree  of  this  rapid  eastward  move- 
ment of  that  surface  which  it  touches,  it  does  not 
move  with  quite  the  same  rapidity  toward  the  east 
as  does  the  earth’s  surface.  Hence,  to  those  living 
on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  as  man  is,  and  traveling 
with  its  surface  toward  the  east  at  the  rate  of  1,050 
miles  per  hour,  the  air,  which  moves  less  rapidly, 
seems  to  be  blowing  toward  the  west.  Hence  there  is 
in  the  equatorial  regions,  under  normal  conditions, 
a steady  flow  of  air  along  the  surface  of  the  earth 
toward  the  west. 

But  there  are  still  other  complications  even  in  the 
comparatively  regular  movement  of  the  air  at  the 
earth’s  surface.  The  eastward  movement  of  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  is  less  rapid  at  a considerable  dis- 
tance north  or  south  of  the  equator ; at  sixty  degrees 
of  latitude,  for  example,  it  is  about  520  miles  per 
hour,  instead  of  1,050  miles  per  hour  at  the  equator, 
and  at  the  poles  there  is  no  eastward  movement. 
So  the  air  which  moves  from  the  north  or  south 
toward  the  equator  finds  the  earth’s  surface  beneath 
it  moving  more  and  more  rapidly  toward  the  east  as 
it  draws  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  equator ; and  being 
unable  to  accommodate  itself  to  all  of  that  increasing 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


79 


eastward  motion,  it  seems  to  those  on  the  earth’s  sur- 
face to  flow  somewhat  to  the  west  as  it  continues  to 
move  toward  the  equator.  Hence  the  currents  of  air 
flowing  from  the  poles  toward  the  equator  seem  to 
those  on  the  earth’s  surface  in  the  northern  hemi- 
sphere to  move  toward  the  southwest,  and  to  those  in 
the  southern  hemisphere  to  move  to  the  northwest. 
This  condition  causes  the  regular  southwest  currents 
of  air  in  the  northern  hemisphere  and  northwest  cur- 
rents in  the  southern  hemisphere,  known  on  the 
ocean  as  the  “ trade  wTinds.”  On  the  other  hand, 
the  heated  air  rising  from  the  equator  partakes 
largely  of  the  rapid  eastward  movement  of  the 
earth’s  surface,  and,  as  it  moves  toward  the  poles, 
finds  itself  traveling  toward  the  east  more  rapidly 
than  those  slow-moving  portions  of  the  earth’s  sur- 
face at  a distance  from  the  equator,  which  travel  to 
the  east  at  a much  less  rate  of  speed  than  that  part 
from  which  it  received  its  eastward  impetus — the 
equatorial  regions.  As  a result,  this  upper  stratum 
of  air,  when  cooled  and  falling  again  to  the  earth’s 
surface  at  about  the  fiftieth  or  sixtieth  degree  of  lati- 
tude, finds  itself  traveling  toward  the  east  more  rap- 
idly than  the  earth’s  surface  at  that  point ; and 
hence,  to  those  living  on  the  earth’s  surface,  it  seems 
to  flow  to  the  east  as  well  as  toward  the  poles,  form- 
ing another  set  of  trade  winds  with  a northeast  move- 


80 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


ment  in  the  northern  hemisphere  and  a southeast 
movement  in  the  southern  hemisphere. 

Even  these  somewhat  complex  movements  would 
not  prove  serious  in  their  effect  on  man  if  they  were 
not  further  complicated  and  absolutely  disarranged 
by  various  disturbing  conditions.  In  certain  parts 
of  the  earth  the  land  surface  becomes  intensely 
heated,  as  in  the  deserts  of  Africa  and  Asia;  and 
the  air  of  these  spots,  rising  rapidly,  creates  a par- 
tial vacuum  which  must  be  filled  from  the  sur- 
rounding sections  of  the  globe.  And  here  begins  the 
abnormal  movement  of  smaller  bodies  of  air  in  direc- 
tions differing  from  those  already  described.  These 
currents  of  air,  moving  in  somewhat  different  direc- 
tions, strike  against  other  currents  and  are  deflected ; 
and  coming  in  contact  with  the  mountain  ranges  of 
the  continents  are  forced  still  farther  to  the  right  or 
left,  and  finally  become  the  revolving  storms  known 
as  the  “ typhoons,”  “ bagnios,”  “ papagallos,”  “ hur- 
ricanes,” “ simoons,”  “ tornadoes,”  or  “ cyclones.” 
The  diameter  of  this  whirlwind  thus  created  by 
the  contending  forces  of  nature  is  perhaps  a few 
yards,  perhaps  a few  miles,  perhaps  50  or  100,  or 
even  200  or  300  miles,  or  even  more. 

In  the  center  of  this  great  whirlwind  there  is  a 
calm,  but  in  the  circle  in  which  the  winds  move,  the 
rate  of  speed  which  they  attain  is  very  great.  Even 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


81 


on  the  land,  where  their  movement  is  obstructed  by 
forests  and  hills  and  mountains,  the  rate  at  which 
they  blow  is  from  20  to  50  miles  per  hour,  or 
as  fast  as  a train  of  cars  will  travel ; while  on  the 
ocean,  where  they  meet  with  no  obstruction,  their 
speed  sometimes  reaches  75  or  100  miles  per  hour, 
and  perhaps  more.  The  waves  are  lashed  into  fury 
and  run  not  only  mountain  high,  but  seem  to  boil 
about  the  vessel,  and  breaking  against  its  sides  dash 
in  torrents  across  its  decks,  sweeping  everything  be- 
fore them  and  sometimes  making  a plaything  of  the 
vessel  itself.  The  black  clouds  which  accompany  the 
storm  obscure  the  sun  or  stars  and  render  navigation 
more  difficult,  and  the  torrents  of  water  which  fall 
from  them,  coupled  with  the  constant  flashes  of  light- 
ning, the  roar  of  the  wind  and  waves,  and  the  force 
of  the  gale  itself,  add  to  the  confusion  and  terror  of 
the  scene  and  to  the  difficulty  of  managing  the  vessel. 

In  less  time  than  it  has  taken  to  tell  the  nature  of 
the  typhoon,  it  began  to  make  itself  felt  upon  the 
vessel  on  which  Miss  Dennison  and  Miss  Saxton  had 
taken  passage.  The  sky  became  dark;  fragments 
of  white  clouds  floating  far  above  them  moved  rap- 
idly, as  though  driven  by  a fierce  wind,  now  scatter- 
ing as  if  torn  by  some  invisible  hand,  now  joining 
again  in  masses  and  rushing  toward  the  distant  hori- 
zon. Gusts  of  wind  dashed  down  upon  the  sea,  which 


82 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


an  hour  earlier  was  as  smooth  as  a mill  pond,  driving 
the  water  into  white-capped  waves  which  dashed 
against  the  side  of  the  vessel,  scattering  the  spray 
across  its  decks  and  sending  the  passengers  to  cover. 
Thick  masses  of  black  clouds  seemed,  lighted  up  at 
intervals  by  brilliant  flashes  of  lightning,  to  bear 
down  upon  them,  while  the  wind,  which  had  come  in 
gusts  at  first,  strengthened  into  a gale,  the  seas  were 
lashed  into  foam,  and  the  waves,  dashing  over  the 
side  of  the  ship,  swept  in  torrents  across  the  deck. 
The  crew,  composed  of  barefooted  natives  of  India 
and  the  Malayan  Peninsula,  were  hurrying  to  and 
fro,  lashing  every  movable  object  to  the  masts  or 
railings. 

“ You  must  go  below,  ladies/’  said  the  captain, 
as  he  hurried  past  them.  “ It  is  not  safe  for  you  to 
remain  here.  These  gusts  of  wind  and  the  rocking 
of  the  vessel  might  throw  you  against  the  railing, 
and  the  waves,  which  are  beginning  to  sweep  the  deck, 
will  soon  make  it  impossible  for  you  to  stay  here.” 

“ But  surely,  captain,  you  are  not  going  on  in 
the  midst  of  this  awful  storm,”  said  Miss  Saxton. 
“ Why  don’t  you  turn  round  and  go  back  to  the 
shore  ? ” 

“ The  very  worst  thing  that  we  could  do,  miss,” 
said  the  captain  with  a smile.  “ I am  glad  that  we 
have  gotten  well  away  from  the  land  before  encoun- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


83 


tering  this  gale,  for  the  shore  is  the  most  dangerous 
place  for  a vessel  in  such  a storm,  unless  she  is  within 
a safe  harbor.  In  this  deep  water  we  are  free  from 
danger  of  being  driven  on  the  rocks,  and  all  we  have 
to  do  is  to  face  the  storm  and  keep  our  vessel  well 
in  hand.  I hope  we  may  he  able  to  avoid  the  worst 
part  of  it,  but  we  cannot  run  away  from  it,  and  to 
attempt  to  make  the  shore  would  be  fatal.” 

The  young  ladies  obeyed  his  injunction,  and  leav- 
ing the  decks  made  their  way  as  best  they  could 
toward  the  cabin  to  which  they  had  been  assigned. 
They  were  none  too  soon,  for,  as  they  left  their  places 
on  the  deck,  a tremendous  wave  dashed  against  the 
side  of  the  vessel  and,  sweeping  across  the  deck,  tore 
the  movable  articles  from  their  places  and  swept  them 
into  the  sea.  As  they  entered  their  cabin  they  found 
that  the  ports,  or  “ windows,”  as  Miss  Saxton  insisted 
upon  calling  them,  had  been  closed  and  securely  fas- 
tened, and  the  waves  were  dashing  over  them,  shut- 
ting out  the  light  at  intervals.  The  rolling  of  the 
vessel  grew  more  pronounced  each  moment,  and  soon 
their  baggage  began  to  slide  from  one  side  of  the 
room  to  the  other,  as  the  vessel  rolled  from  side  to 
side  or  mounted  upon  some  huge  wave.  The  heat 
within  was  intense  and  the  air,  saturated  with  mois- 
ture, was  stifling.  The  young  ladies  clung,  trem- 
bling, to  whatever  they  might  find  to  prevent  them- 


84 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


selves  joining  the  baggage  in  wild  trips  across  the 
room  in  obedience  to  the  motions  of  the  vessel. 

Gradually  they  became  accustomed  to  the  rolling 
of  the  ship,  and  when  the  gong  sounded  for  dinner 
they  ventured  to  make  their  way  to  the  dining  saloon. 
They  found  the  tables  covered  with  curious  wooden 
racks,  placed  in  position  to  prevent  the  dishes  from 
sliding  from  their  places  as  the  vessel  rolled  from 
side  to  side.  But  even  this  precaution  was  insuf- 
ficient, and,  as  the  ship  gave  an  unusually  heavy  roll, 
the  saltcellars  leaped  from  their  places  and  joined 
in  a mad  race  across  the  table,  glasses  clashed  against 
each  other  with  a crashing  sound,  and  the  plates  be- 
fore them  seemed  to  deliberately  rise  on  edge  and 
deposited  their  contents  into  the  laps  of  the  young 
ladies  as  they  sat  at  the  table.  Oranges  and  other 
fruits  leaped  to  the  floor  and  raced  up  and  down  the 
dining  room.  The  punkas  which  hung  above  the 
table  swung  furiously,  as  if  pulled  by  the  invisible 
hand  of  some  enraged  punka-wallah,  and  the  great 
bell  on  the  upper  deck  tolled  unceasingly  as  the  ever- 
recurring  waves  and  blasts  threw  the  vessel  from  side 
to  side. 

Dining  under  such  circumstances  was,  of  course, 
quite  an  impossibility,  and  a retreat  from  the  dining 
saloon  was  scarcely  less  difficult.  By  clinging  to 
tables  and  chairs  which  had  been  fastened  to  the 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


85 


floor,  and  seizing  favorable  opportunities  for  short 
runs  from  one  stationary  object  to  another,  they 
finally  reached  their  cabin. 

The  night  was  one  of  terror.  The  constant  rolling 
of  the  ship,  the  roar  of  the  winds,  the  furious  dash- 
ing of  the  waves,  which  seemed  at  times  as  though 
they  would  force  their  way  through  the  thick  plates 
of  glass  by  which  the  ports  were  covered,  the  rush 
of  water  at  intervals  across  the  deck  over  their  heads, 
the  sharp  flashes  of  lightning  followed  by  crashes  of 
thunder  which  seemed  to  make  the  vessel  tremble  at 
every  joint,  the  creaking  of  the  timbers,  the  hoarse 
shouting  of  the  officers  as  they  gave  orders  to  the 
crew  whose  hurrying  footsteps  could  be  heard  upon 
the  decks  or  in  the  passageways,  were  sufficient  to 
appall  the  stoutest  heart,  while  to  these  two  young 
girls,  alone  among  strangers  and  unaccustomed  to 
the  sea,  they  were  terrifying  beyond  expression. 
They  could  only  fall  upon  their  knees  and  lift  their 
hearts  to  God  in  prayer  for  protection.  Then,  with 
renewed  confidence,  they  waited,  counting  the 
“ bells,”  which  in  their  long  voyage  they  had  learned 
to  recognize  as  the  measure  of  time,  and  pale,  red- 
eyed, and  weary  welcomed  at  last  the  gray  light  of 
the  morning. 

The  return  of  day  seemed  to  have  no  effect  in 
reducing  the  violence  of  the  storm.  Indeed,  it  ap- 


86 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


peared  to  take  Dew  strength  as  the  daylight  increased, 
and  to  wrelcorne  the  opportunity  to  display  its  power 
to  the  observers.  The  exhausted  young  women,  suf- 
fering from  the  close  air  of  their  cabin,  clambered 
slowly  to  the  apartment  known  in  nautical  terms  as 
the  “ ladies’  saloon,”  but  which  Miss  Saxton  had  in- 
sisted upon  calling  the  “ parlor,”  and  from  its  tightly 
closed  windows  gazed  upon  the  scene  of  destruction 
about  them.  Every  movable  object  had  been  swept 
from  the  deck,  masts  and  spars  were  broken  and 
dangling  helplessly,  the  ropes  which  had  held  them 
in  position  were  twisted  and  tangled,  and  among 
these  the  members  of  the  crew  ran  backward  and 
forward,  carrying  out  the  orders  of  their  superior 
officers,  who  struggled  to  hold  the  ship  in  her  proper 
position  in  the  face  of  the  storm.  Suddenly  a huge 
wave  struck  the  side  of  the  ship  with  the  sound  of 
a cannon,  a flood  of  water  dashed  over  the  deck,  and 
Miss  Saxton  screamed  as  she  saw  two  of  the  men 
carried  overboard  into  the  boiling  sea. 

“ Come,  Sallie,”  she  said,  turning  from  the  win- 
dow ; “ come  away,  I can’t  endure  this  awful  sight.” 

As  she  said  this  there  was  an  exclamation  of  sur- 
prise, and  Miss  Dennison,  seizing  her  by  the  arm, 
pointed  through  the  window  at  a dark  mass  half 
concealed  by  the  storm,  but  above  it  the  fragments 
of  a red,  white,  and  blue  banner. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


87 

“ Our  ship,”  she  said  in  an  excited  tone ; “ our 
own  ship  battling  with  the  storm  just  as  we  are,  and 
coming  nearer  to  us  every  moment.” 

She  was  right.  It  was  an  American  ship,  the  very 
one  on  which  they  had  started  from  Hew  York,  the 
ship  from  whose  decks  had  been  fired  the  shot  aimed 
at  the  life  of  Daniel  Patterson. 

As  they  watched,  fascinated  by  the  awful  spectacle, 
the  ship  swung  closer,  and  they  seemed  to  see  a 
man  standing  at  a partly  protected  point  of  the 
vessel,  watching  his  opportunity  to  seek  a spot  of 
greater  safety.  Suddenly  he  started  from  Iris  place 
and  attempted  to  cross  the  deck  of  the  rapidly  rolling 
ship.  As  he  did  so  a huge  wave  from  the  side  oppo- 
site them  dashed  across  the  deck  and  swept  him  into 
the  sea  within  what  seemed  but  a few  yards  of  their 
own  vessel.  As  he  fell,  a vivid  flash  of  lightning 
rendered  plainly  visible  his  upturned  face. 

Miss  Dennison  screamed  loudly  and  covered  her 
face  with  her  hands.  “ That  face!  ” she  ejaculated. 
“That  face!  The  face  of  Wallace  Addison!” 

Miss  Saxton  looked  again,  and  as  she  did  so  she 
saw  a life  buoy  with  rope  attached  thrown  into  the 
sea  in  the  direction  of  the  struggling  man.  Then  a 
sudden  turn  of  their  own  vessel  shut  the  scene  from 
her  gaze,  and  as  she  turned  she  found  her  companion 
lying  unconscious  at  her  feet. 


CHAPTER  YII 


“ The  American  flag,  captain ; I see  the  American 
flag  on  the  shore  yonder.” 

If  the  reader  will  examine  a map  of  that  archi- 
pelago known  as  the  East  Indian  Islands,  he  will  see 
lying  due  east  of  Singapore,  from  which  place  the 
hickless  vessel  described  in  the  last  chapter  made  its 
departure,  the  great  island  of  Borneo,  larger  than 
Germany,  Netherlands,  Denmark,  and  Switzerland 
combined.  If  he  will  look  carefully  along  the  north- 
east shore  he  will  see  the  little  town  of  Sandakan, 
the  capital  of  that  section  of  the  island  known  as 
British  North  Borneo.  If  he  will  look  a little  far- 
ther to  the  northeast  he  will  see  two  tiny  islets  desig- 
nated as  Tawi  Tawi  and  Jolo,  mere  dots  in  the 
ocean,  hut  the  beginning  of  a chain  of  islands  which 
stretches  northward  nearly  a thousand  miles.  These 
little  dots  just  off  the  coast  of  Borneo  are  the  south- 
ernmost islands  of  the  Philippine  group,  and  from 
that,  point  northward  to  Manila  and  northern  Luzon 
the  American  flag  flies. 


88 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


89 


The  town  of  Sandakan,  on  the  northeast  coast  of 
Borneo,  was  the  intended  destination  of  the  vessel 
on  which  Misses  Dennison  and  Saxton  had  been 
invited  to  make  the  trip  from  Singapore.  When  it 
is  understood  that  this  long  chain  of  Philippine  Is- 
lands, ending  with  Jolo  and  Tawi  Tawi,  is  being 
constantly  patrolled  by  American  vessels  from  Ma- 
nila, carrying  supplies  to  the  military  posts,  agricul- 
tural experiment  stations,  exploring  expeditions,  and 
schools  which  have  been  established  in  the  chain  of 
islands,  it  will  not  be  surprising  that  Captain  Wil- 
loughby had  expected  to  be  able  to  place  his  guests 
on  board  some  vessel  which  would  carry  them  to 
Manila.  Yor  will  it  be  surprising  that  after  the  buf- 
fetings  of  the  storm,  which  left  the  sturdy  vessel 
almost  helpless  and  the  captain  anxious  as  to  its 
fate,  he  found  that  he  had  been  driven  past  his  in- 
tended destination  and  that  the  port  which  opened 
before  him  just  as  the  day  ended  was  not  Sandakan, 
but  the  American  port  of  Jolo  on  the  Jolo  island. 

“ Yes,  it  is  the  American  flag,  Miss  Dennison,” 
said  the  captain  in  answer  to  her  exclamation  re- 
corded at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter.  “ It  is  the 
American  flag  and  that  is  American  soil  which  you 
see  before  you,  the  island  of  Jolo  and  the  town  of 
the  same  name.  And  I am  right  glad  to  see  them, 
too,  for  although  the  harbor  is  not  a very  good  one, 


90 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


it  will  be  a reasonably  safe  place  to-night,  for  the 
storm  is  over,  as  you  will  see  if  you  look  at  the  west- 
ern sky,  where  the  sun  is  setting  in  a blaze  of  glory. 
We  can  get  a rest  here  and  take  a look  at  our  vessel. 
It  is  a pretty  hard  fight  we  have  had  with  this 
typhoon,  and  I am  not  sorry  to  have  a chance  to  get 
things  in  order,  for  I am  not  quite  clear  just  how 
much  longer  we  could  have  held  out  against  it.” 

“ But  isn’t  this  the  terrible  island  that  we  have 
heard  so  much  about,  where  the  Sultan  of  Sulu  lives 
and  where  the  Moros  have  killed  so  many  people  and 
fought  the  Americans  so  terribly  ? ” 

“ It  is  the  same  place,  but  you  will  be  quite  free 
from  danger  on  the  ship,  or  even  on  land;  for  it  is 
only  a few  fanatics  and  men  opposed  to  any  sort  of 
government  who  make  these  occasional  outbreaks. 
You  see,  the  people  of  these  southern  islands  are 
quite  different  from  those  of  the  northern  part  of 
the  group.  They  are  Mohammedans  and  are  bitterly 
opposed  to  government  by  Christians,  though  they 
are  already  coming  to  have  a greater  respect  for  the 
Americans  than  at  first.  They  have  found  that  out- 
breaks against  the  Americans  are  severely  punished, 
but  that  cooperation  with  them  gives  beneficial  re- 
sults. It  is  chiefly  the  pirates  who  are  opposed  to 
governmental  control,  because  it  prevents  their  con- 
tinuing their  raids  upon  the  small  vessels  which  ven- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


91 


ture  into  these  seas  in  trade  between  the  islands. 
But  what  is  this  that  I see  coming  out  to  meet  us  ? 
It  looks  lixe  a launch  from  that  vessel  which  I see 
lying  in  the  harbor.” 

“ Yes,  and  it  is  flying  the  American  flag,  too,” 
said  Miss  Saxton,  clapping  her  hands  with  delight 
at  the  sight  of  the  flag. 

“ Excuse  me,  captain,”  she  said,  with  a blush ; “ I 
hope  you  will  not  think  it  rude  in  me  to  be  delighted 
to  see  my  own  flag,  even  if  you  have  been  so  kind  to 
us  in  this  strange  land.  You  see,  we  have  scarcely 
seen  the  American  flag  since  we  left  Yew  York,  and 
it  certainly  does  seem  as  though  we  were  getting 
home  again  to  see  it  flying  on  land  and  on  these  ves- 
vels  in  the  harbor.” 

“ Yo  apologies  are  needed,”  said  the  captain  with 
a smile.  “ I don’t  blame  you  for  being  pleased  to 
see  your  own  flag.  I’ve  known  the  time  when  I 
thought  the  British  flag  was  the  most  beautiful  thing 
I had  ever  seen,  and  I think  all  the  more  of  you  for 
having  the  same  feelings  about  your  own  country 
and  your  flag.” 

The  vessel  made  its  way  slowly  into  the  little  har- 
bor, where  it  found  itself  quickly  surrounded  by 
long,  narrow  rowboats,  barely  wide  enough  to  per- 
mit a person  to  sit  in  them ; while  long  arms  reach- 
ing out  on  each  side  and  connected  by  poles  which 
7 


92 


UNCLE  SAM'S  CHILDREN 


touched  the  water  prevented  them  from  overturning. 
The  boats  were  paddled  by  men  with  yellow  skins, 
much  lighter  in  color  than  those  they  had  seen  at 
Port  Said  and  Cairo  or  at  Bombay.  They  wore 
broad  umbrella-shaped  hats  and  baggy  trousers,  but 
in  most  cases  nothing  above  the  waist.  Others,  sit- 
ting or  standing  in  the  boats,  wore  the  same  kind 
of  baggy  trousers,  with  a jacket  covering  the  shoul- 
ders and  waist  and  a turban  or  Turkish  fez  on  their 
heads. 

“ You  see,  many  of  these  people  are  of  Moorish 
descent,”  said  the  captain,  “ and  have  retained  some- 
thing of  the  costumes  as  well  as  the  customs  of  the 
Moors  and  the  Turks.” 

“ Ship  ahoy!”  said  a voice  just  at  the  side  of 
the  vessel,  a voice  which  sounded  strangely  familiar 
to  Miss  Dennison  and  caused  her  to  start  quickly. 

“ Aye,  aye,”  shouted  the  captain  in  response. 

“ Is  this  the  British  ship  Malaya,  bound  from 
Singapore  to  Sandakan  ? ” said  the  voice,  which  came 
from  the  handsome  little  launch  which  had  ap- 
proached the  opposite  side  of  the  vessel  from  that 
on  which  the  captain  and  the  young  ladies  were 
standing. 

“ The  very  same,”  replied  the  captain. 

“ Have  you  on  board  two  young  ladies  bound  for 
Manila,  Misses  Dennison  and  Saxton  ? ” 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


9-3 


“ Avast  there,  stranger ! ” shouted  the  captain ; 
“ you  seem  to  be  very  inquisitive.  Who  are  you, 
and  by  what  authority  are  you  asking  so  many 
qiiestions  ? ” 

By  this  time  the  young  ladies  were  in  a high  state 
of  excitement,  and  each  throwing  an  arm  about  the 
waist  of  the  other  waited  anxiously  for  the  reply. 

“ Excuse  me,”  said  the  voice ; 1 I am  the  captain 
of  the  West  Virginia , and  I learned  yesterday  that 
these  young  ladies  were  on  the  way  to  Sandakan 
by  the  Malaya,  and  desired  passage  thence  to  Manila. 
I am  ordered  to  offer  them  the  privilege  of  making 
the  trip  on  my  vessel.” 

“ That  voice  ! ” said  Miss  Dennison,  rushing  to  the 
side  of  the  vessel  and  craning  her  neck  to  get  a view 
of  the  person  speaking.  “ Certainly  I know  that 
voice.” 

In  a moment  a rope  ladder  had  been  dropped  over 
the  side  of  the  vessel,  and  soon  a broad-shouldered 
man  clad  in  the  white  uniform  of  an  American  of- 
ficer in  the  tropics  was  clambering  up  the  ladder  hand 
over  hand. 

“Henry  Wilkins!”  ejaculated  Miss  Dennison, 
springing  forward  as  she  saw  his  face  emerge  above 
the  railing  of  the  ship.  “ Henry  Wilkins,  is  it 
not?” 

“ The  same,  at  your  service,  Miss  Dennison,”  said 


94 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


the  officer  with  a bow  and  extending  his  hand  to  meet 
that  which  Miss  Dennison  had  extended  to  him. 

“ How  strange  that  we  should  meet  here  so  far 
from  home,  and  how  fortunate  that  you  should  be 
here  ready  to  give  us  passage  to  Manila  just  as  we 
arrive  by  the  kindness  of  Captain  Willoughby  ” ; and, 
turning,  she  introduced  the  new  arrival  to  the  cap- 
tain of  the  vessel  and  to  Miss  Saxton. 

“ You  don’t  need  to  introduce  me  to  Henry  Wil- 
kins,” said  Miss  Saxton  as  she  stepped  forward,  her 
face  wreathed  in  smiles ; “ for  we  were  children  to- 
gether before  we  came  to  live  in  that  part  of  West 
Virginia  which  is  your  home.” 

“ Biit  how  did  you  know  that  we  were  coming  on 
this  vessel  and  wanted  to  go  to  Manila  ? ” 

“ I received  a cablegram  from  Dan  Patterson  just 
before  leaving  Manila  saying  that  you  were  on  the 
way  by  a United  States  transport,  and  yesterday 
received  a cablegram  from  Manila  saying  that  the 
United  States  Consitl  at  Singapore  had  cabled  there 
that  you  had  missed  your  steamer  at  that  place  and 
were  taking  this  one  for  Sandakan,  and  when  I saw 
this  steamer  coming  in  here  I concluded  that  she  had 
been  driven  out  of  her  course  by  the  typhoon  and  that 
it  would  not  he  necessary  for  me  to  go  to  Sandakan 
to  meet  you.” 

By  this  time  darkness  had  set  in,  and  it  was  de- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


95 


cided  that  the  young  ladies  should  remain  on  board 
of  the  Malaya  until  the  next  morning,  and  after  a 
half  hour  of  conversation  about  their  strange  expe- 
riences on  the  voyage,  Captain  Wilkins  prepared  to 
take  his  leave,  promising  to  call  for  them  the  next 
morning. 

“ It  seems  so  strange  to  see  you  in  that  uniform, 
Henry,”  said  Miss  Dennison  as  she  bade  him  good 
night. 

u And  to  call  you  captain,  too,”  said  Miss  Sax- 
ton. “ Are  you  a real  captain,  Henry  ? ” she  said 
timidly. 

“ Yes,”  said  the  young  officer  with  a touch  of 
pardonable  pride ; “ a real  captain.  I’ve  worked 
very  hard  since  I came  out  here  and  made  my  way 
up  through  the  various  grades,  and  have  been  given 
charge  of  this  new  vessel,  which  I named  the  West 
Virginia,  in  honor  of  our  own  State.  I’ve  been  up 
and  down  among  these  islands  ever  since  I came  here, 
and  know  every  mile  of  the  coast  and  many  of  the 
people.  I’m  going  over  to  Maibun,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  island,  to-morrow  to  pay  an  official  visit  to  the 
Sultan  of  Sulu,  and  I hope  you  ladies  will  go  with 
us.  I should  be  pleased  to  have  you,  sir,  accompany 
us  also,”  he  said,  bowing  to  the  captain  of  the 
Malaya. 

So  it  was  arranged  that  the  two  American  girls 


96 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


and  the  English  captain  and  his  daughters  should 
accompany  Captain  Wilkins  on  his  official  visit  the 
following  day. 

“ I hope  we  shall  not  be  in  any  danger  from  these 
terrible  Moros,  of  whom  we  have  read  such  horrible 
stories,”  said  Miss  Saxton,  as  she  said  good  night  to 
Captain  Wilkins. 

“ USTot  the  slightest,”  he  replied,  as  he  made  his 
way  down  the  ladder  with  the  agility  of  an  expe- 
rienced sailor.  “ I am  on  excellent  terms  with  His 
Excellency,  the  Sultan,  and  am  carrying  him  his 
quarterly  allowance  from  the  government.  Besides, 
we  shall  take  a corps  of  marines,  and  shall  he  quite 
free  from  the  possibility  of  danger.” 

Early  the  next  morning  they  left  the  Malaya,  and 
taking  their  places  on  the  little  steam  launch  in 
which  Captain  Wilkins  called  for  them  headed  for 
the  shore,  wending  their  way  among  the  curious  little 
rowboats  with  which  the  harbor  was  filled. 

“ Many  of  these  people  are  pearl  fishers,”  said 
Captain  Wilkins,  as  they  passed  among  them. 
“ There  are  excellent  pearl  fisheries  near  here. 
These  people  are  out  every  day,  and  dive  twenty-five, 
fifty,  or  even  a hundred  feet  to  get  the  oysters  con- 
taining the  pearls.” 

As  they  neared  the  shore  they  found  that  a part 
of  the  town  was  composed  of  houses  built  over  the 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


97 


water,  supported  on  posts  driven  into  the  bottom  of 
the  shallow  bay.  The  floors  of  the  houses  were  of 
split  bamboos,  so  laid  as  to  leave  a narrow  opening 
between  each,  thus  making  house  cleaning  an  easy 
task  and  permitting  the  cool  air  from  the  evaporating 
water  below  to  permeate  the  house.  At  the  same 
time  the  heavily  thatched  roofs  of  cogon  grass  re- 
sisted the  heat  of  the  sun,  rendering  them  quite  com- 
fortable even  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  day  in  that 
tropical  climate.  The  space  between  the  houses  was 
covered  by  a flooring,  forming  a narrow  street. 
Many  of  the  people  who  inhabited  these  houses  so 
much  resembled  Chinese  that  Miss  Dennison  re- 
marked upon  this  fact. 

“ Some  of  them  are  Chinese,”  explained  Captain 
Wilkins.  “ There  are  many  Chinese  merchants  and 
traders  in  all  these  islands ; they  take  wives  from 
among  the  natives,  and  their  children  grow  up  with 
the  characteristics  of  the  Chinese.” 

As  they  landed  on  the  beach  they  found  it  crowded 
with  women  and  children,  the  women  wearing  loose 
trousers  made  of  dark  material  and  jackets  of  bright 
colors  fitting  tightly  around  their  shoulders  and  arms. 
A long  sash  of  white  or  of  some  bright  color,  known 
as  the  sarong , thrown  over  the  shoulder  fell  in  grace- 
ful folds  across  the  breast,  and  was  sometimes  held 
in  front  of  the  face  to  conceal  it,  after  the  fashion 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


of  the  women  of  Turkey  and  Egypt;  but  in  most 
cases  no  effort  was  made  to  conceal  the  face.  Chil- 
dren of  both  sexes  and  of  varying  color,  clad  only 
in  the  garb  which  nature  had  given  them,  ran  mer- 
rily about  entirely  unembarrassed  by  the  absence  of 
clothing.  The  few  men  who  appeared  wore  tightly 
fitting  trousers  supported  by  a sash  of  some  bright- 
colored  material,  through  which  there  was  thrust  a 
huge  knife  or  short  sword  with  handle  of  ivory  or 
silver,  and  scarcely  a man  was  seen  without  the 
barong  or  Tcris  or  bolo,  the  favorite  weapons  of  all 
natives  in  these  southern  islands. 

A half  hour  later  they  were  on  the  way  to  the 
residence  of  the  Sultan  of  Sulu.  “ The  trip  will 
occupy  at  least  two  hours,”  said  Captain  Wilkins, 
“ for  although  the  distance  is  said  to  be  but  seven 
miles  and  a half,  you  will  think  it  much  more  than 
that  over  the  rough  and  mountainous  road  which  we 
must  follow.” 

But  however  long  the  distance,  every  minute  was 
interesting  to  the  two  young  American  ladies,  for 
they  had  seen  little  of  tropical  foliage  and  trop- 
ical people.  Leaving  the  coast,  they  passed  through 
large  groves  of  tall  palm  trees  loaded  with  cocoanuts, 
and  as  they  halted  from  time  to  time  the  attendants, 
seizing  the  cocoanuts  fresh  from  the  tree,  chopped 
off  the  top  of  each  with  a single  blow  of  the  bolo, 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


99 


and  with  a bow  presented  one  to  each  member  of  the 
party,  who  found  that  the  water  which  they  con- 
tained made  a refreshing  and  strengthening  draft. 
The  first  town  they  reached  was  Jolo.  This  they 
found  surrounded  by  a stone  wall,  and  some  of  the 
buildings  inside  the  walls  were  also  of  stone,  neatly 
whitewashed  and  covered  with  corrugated  iron  roofs. 
Most  of  the  houses,  however,  were  of  bamboo,  and  the 
roofs  were  thatched  with  nipa  or  cogon  leaves.  Nipa 
is  a small  palm  whose  leaves  are  largely  used  for 
making  the  roofs  of  houses,  and  frequently  also  for 
making  the  outer  walls  and  partitions.  The  cogon 
is  a grass  with  a heavy,  sharp-edged  blade,  and  is 
also  largely  used  for  purposes  similar  to  those  de- 
scribed for  nipa.  The  roofs  of  most  of  the  native 
houses  in  the  Philippine  Islands  are  made  of  nipa 
or  cogon,  and  in  many  cases  the  sides  also  are  of 
that  material,  while  in  other  cases  the  sides  of  the 
houses  are  of  narrow  strips  of  bamboo  woven  to- 
gether, looking  at  a distance  much  like  the  Japanese 
straw  matting  which  comes  to  the  United  States  in 
such  quantities.  Nearly  all  of  the  houses  are  built 
on  posts,  with  the  lower  floor  several  feet  above  the 
ground  so  as  to  admit  a free  circulation  of  air  and 
to  prevent  the  entrance  into  the  houses  of  the  noxious 
vapors  from  the  ground  in  this  tropical  region. 

As  they  passed  out  of  the  town  of  Jolo  they  ob- 


100 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


served  the  ruins  of  what  seemed  to  be  a very  ancient 
town. 

“ This,”  said  Captain  Wilkins,  “ is  the  ruins  of 
the  old  town  of  Bowan,  founded,  it  is  said,  in  the 
year  1776.” 

“ Why,  the  very  year  of  American  independence,” 
said  Miss  Saxton.  “ Do  you  mean  that  these  islands 
have  been  populated  by  white  people  as  long  as 
that  ? ” 

“ Much  longer,”  said  the  captain,  “ for  the  Span- 
ish made  their  first  permanent  settlements  in  the 
Philippine  Islands  in  1570,  or  thirty-seven  years 
earlier  than  the  first  permanent  English  settlement 
at  Jamestown  in  the  United  States.  In  1571  they 
took  possession  of  Manila,  then  a village  controlled 
by  Moors,  probably  of  the  very  same  stock  as  the 
people  now  controlling  this  little  island.  So  you  see, 
the  Spanish  were  permanently  in  the  Philippines 
several  years  before  the  first  permanent  English  set- 
tlement in  America.” 

A three  hours’  drive  among  the  tropical  forests 
of  the  island  brought  them  to  the  little  town  of  Mai- 
bun,  the  home  of  the  Sultan.  On  the  way  they  passed 
numbers  of  houses  of  the  natives,  surrounded  by 
small  cultivated  fields  of  sugar  cane,  sweet  potatoes, 
and  rice.  As  they  neared  the  town  the  throng  of 
natives  increased,  and  Miss  Dennison  observed  that 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


101 


the  captain  noted  with  some  apparent  anxiety  that 
many  of  the  men  were  armed  with  the  heavy  knife 
known  as  the  barong,  and  that  others  carried  a 
double-edged  short  swTord,  known  as  the  kris,  while 
still  others  were  armed  with  spears.  He  called  the 
officer  of  the  marines  who  were  acting  as  a guard 
and  gave  him  some  orders  in  a low  tone,  looking  with 
some  anxiety  at  one  of  the  wagons  of  their  little 
cavalcade. 

As  they  reached  the  residence  of  the  Sultan  they 
found  it  surrounded  by  a high  wall  of  stones  and 
earth,  and  above  the  entrance  a tower  for  a watch- 
man. Passing  within,  the  captain  sent  one  of  his 
trusted  men  who  spoke  the  native  language  to  in- 
form the  Sultan  of  his  arrival,  and  in  a few  minutes 
they  were  ushered  into  the  “ palace.”  They  found 
it  a low  rambling  building  constructed  of  wood, 
with  a roof  of  corrugated  iron,  and  on  ascending  the 
stairs  were  shown  into  a large  apartment  furnished 
with  a few  chairs  and  benches,  a sideboard,  and  an 
American  writing  desk.  The  room  was  lighted  with 
kerosene  lamps  which  hung  from  the  ceiling. 

• In  a few  minutes  the  Sultan  entered  the  apart- 
ment, followed  by  his  train  of  attendants.  The  one 
who  walked  behind  him  carried  a curious  little  brass 
box,  wffiich  Captain  Wilkins  explained  contained  the 
betel  nut,  which  all  natives  consider  a necessity  of 


102 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


their  daily  and  hourly  existence,  and  which  when 
chewed  stains  the  teeth  and  lips  a dark-red  color. 
Each  man  of  those  who  followed  carried  at  his  side 
a barong  or  hr  is.  The  Sultan  took  his  place  on  a 
raised  platform,  and  his  followers  arranged  them- 
selves about  him.  Each  was  dressed  in  tightly  fit- 
ting trousers  with  a line  of  gold  buttons  along  the 
outer  side  of  the  leg,  supported  by  a sash  of  red, 
purple,  or  yellow.  On  the  upper  part  of  the  body  was 
a short  jacket  of  white  or  some  bright,  color  with 
rows  of  gold  buttons  at  the  front,  while  the  head 
was  covered  with  a turban,  some  red,  others  yellow 
or  brown.  The  Sultan’s  feet  were  incased  in  Turkish 
slippers,  while  most  of  his  attendants  were  bare- 
footed. The  attendants  ranged  themselves  about  the 
Sultan,  and  the  conversation  between  that  dignitary 
and  his  guests  was  carried  on  through  an  interpreter. 
Servants  approaching  him  crept  humbly  along  the 
floor  on  bended  knees.  A group  of  men  who  stood 
near  him  were  pointed  out  by  the  captain  as  the 
dattoes,  or  subordinate  officers,  who  administer  the 
government  in  the  various  provinces  of  the  little 
island.  They  also  wore  the  same  tightly  fitting  trou- 
sers with  rows  of  buttons  down  the  leg,  and  coats  of 
white  or  azure  blue  or  red,  but  in  most  cases  they 
were  barefooted,  those  who  possessed  shoes  having  left 
them  at  the  door  in  accordance  with  Oriental  cus- 


PALACE  OF  THE  SULTAN  OF  SULU. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


103 


tom.  Glancing  from  the  windows,  the  young  ladies 
saw  several  women  of  the  household  of  the  Sultan, 
dressed  in  costumes  of  bright  colors,  their  faces  white 
with  powder,  the  lips  painted  a bright  red. 

The  conversation  between  the  captain  and  the 
Sultan  was  progressing  satisfactorily,  and  the  cap- 
tain had  just  announced  that  he  was  the  bearer  of 
the  quarterly  allowance  for  the  Sultan  and  the  dat- 
toes,  when  suddenly  a great  confusion  was  heard  in 
the  grounds  outside  the  walls  surrounding  the  palace. 
There  was  a shouting  and  the  sound  of  footsteps, 
as  if  men  were  running,  then  a rifle  shot  followed  by 
yells  and  volley  after  volley  of  shots. 

“ Your  treasure  wagon  has  been  attacked  by  a 
band  of  robbers,”  said  an  officer,  dashing  into  the 
palace  and  addressing  Captain  Wilkins.  “ They  are 
rushing  at  the  guard  with  their  barongs  and  Jcrises 
and  throwing  their  spears,  and  the  guard  is  fighting 
for  life.” 


CHAPTER  VIII 


The  attack  upon  the  treasure  wagon,  recorded  in 
the  last  chapter,  was  easily  and  quickly  terminated. 
The  attacking  party  was  composed  of  a handful  of 
lawless  men  who  spend  most  of  their  time  in  piracy 
on  the  waters  of  the  Sulu  archipelago,  and  who,  hear- 
ing that  the  Americans  were  visiting  the  Sultan  to 
make  the  quarterly  payment,  chose  this  moment  for  a 
raid  upon  the  treasure  wagon.  They  had  hoped  that 
the  absence  of  the  commanding  officer  in  the  palace  of 
the  Sultan  would  give  them  special  advantages  in 
attacking  the  wagon  train,  and  that  the  few  men  who 
performed  the  service  of  guards  at  the  palace  would 
also  be  so  occupied  with  the  formalities  of  the  mo- 
ment that  they  could  by  mere  force  of  numbers  over- 
power the  guard  and  make  off  with  the  treasure  be- 
fore the  general  alarm  could  be  given.  But  they  had 
not  correctly  measured  the  power  of  the  repeating 
rifle  and  the  coolness  and  bravery  of  the  American 
who  stood  behind  it,  and  the  body  of  native  guards 
which  the  Sultan  and  his  dattoes  quickly  sent  to  the 

104 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


105 


rescue  only  arrived  in  time  to  see  the  attacking  party 
disappear  in  the  thick  tropical  forest,  carrying  their 
wounded  with  them. 

“ What  terrible  people ! ” said  Miss  Saxton  with 
a shudder,  as  the  lieutenant  of  marines  returned  to 
the  palace  and  reported  the  result.  “ I did  not  know 
that  we  were  coming  to  a country  where  bands  of 
robbers  attacked  people  in  open  daylight  in  this  way. 
If  I had  known  there  were  such  people  in  the  Philip- 
pines I should  not  have  dared  to  come  here.” 

“ Yes,”  said  Captain  Wilkins  dryly,  “ it’s  almost 
as  bad  as  it  is  in  the  United  States.  You  know  the 
robbers  stop  the  railroad  trains  there,  and  not  only 
rob  the  express  cars  of  their  treasure,  but  actually 
go  through  the  cars  with  pistol  in  hand  and  compel 
the  passengers  to  give  up  money  and  watches ; and 
that  sort  of  thing  sometimes  happens  in  the  streets 
of  the  great  cities.” 

“ Oh,  I don’t  think  you  should  talk  that  way  about 
our  own  country ! ” said  Miss  Saxton  with  burning 
cheeks.  “ Our  English  friends  here  will  form  a very 
poor  opinion  of  us.” 

“ Hot  at  all,  Miss  Saxton,”  replied  Captain  Wil- 
loughby. “ There  are  lawless  people  everywhere. 
We  have  them  in  our  own  country,  as  you  have  them 
in  the  United  States,  and  you  must  expect  to  find 
them  here  in  the  Philippines  in  even  larger  propor- 


10G 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


tion,  for  these  people  have  as  yet  made  little  progress 
in  civilization.  But  they  are  learning  lessons  from 
the  Americanos,  and  I am  sure  that  the  very  work 
which  you  young  ladies  are  about  to  enter  upon  will 
result  in  an  improved  condition  of  the  younger  gen- 
eration, and  through  them  upon  those  of  more  mature 
years.” 

A couple  of  hours  later  they  were  on  their  way 
back  to  Jolo,  having  been  served  before  their  depar- 
ture with  sundry  cups  of  cocoa  and  a plentiful  sup- 
ply of  native  sweetmeats  made  of  chocolate  and 
native  sugar.  The  young  ladies  glanced  nervously 
about  them  during  the  first  mile  of  the  journey,  fear- 
ing lest  the  attack  might  be  renewed,  but  they  were 
reassured  by  the  presence  of  the  military  and  the 
suggestion  that  the  transfer  of  the  treasure  to  the 
Sultan  and  dattoes  before  leaving  had  removed  any 
possible  cause  for  a renewal  of  the  attack.  They 
were  accompanied  for  a considerable  distance  by  the 
barefooted  dattoes,  each  accompanied  by  a servant 
carrying  an  umbrella  over  the  head  of  his  master, 
while  a crowd  of  natives  of  all  ages  and  in  all  va- 
rieties of  costume  ran  alongside  their  wagons  chat- 
tering like  monkeys. 

Arriving  at  Jolo  in  the  closing  hours  of  the  day, 
they  were  invited  by  Captain  Wilkins  on  board  his 
vessel,  where  a substantial  American  dinner  was  in 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


107 


waiting  for  the  entire  party.  Then  the  young  ladies, 
who  found  that  their  baggage  had  during  the  day 
been  transferred  to  the  West  Virginia,  took  an  affec- 
tionate leave  of  their  English  friends,  expressing 
again  their  thanks  for  their  kind  attentions  and  as- 
sistance, in  which  Captain  Wilkins  joined. 

“ I am  truly  sorry,”  said  Captain  Wilkins,  “ that 
our  acquaintance  must  be  so  short  on  this  occasion, 
for  I must  leave  for  Zamboanga  at  daylight  to-mor- 
row. I have  some  supplies  to  deliver  there,  and  may 
be  compelled  to  make  a trip  into  the  interior  of  the 
island.  But  I assure  you  that  all  of  your  courtesies 
to  these  young  ladies  are  more  than  appreciated,  and 
that  I shall  be  pleased  to  return  them,  if  it  should 
ever  be  in  my  power  to  do  so.” 

“ It  has  been  a pleasure  to  my  daughters  and  my- 
self to  have  these  young  ladies  with  us,”  said  Cap- 
tain Willoughby.  We  English  and  Americans  are 
friends  in  whatever  part  of  the  world  we  may  be,  and 
it  is  gratifying  to  us  to  have  you  as  such  near  neigh- 
bors on  this  side  of  the  globe,  for  you  can  almost  see 
our  possessions  in  the  island  of  Borneo  from  this 
American  soil  in  Sulu.  In  fact,  it  is  all  one  body  of 
land,  for  the  geologists  say  that  the  Philippine  Is- 
lands are  structurally  connected  with  Borneo  by  an 
isthmus  which  is  but  a short  distance  below  the 

surface  of  the  sea.” 

8 


108 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


The  large  island  of  Mindanao,  lying  just  north 
of  the  tiny  island  of  Jolo,  is  the  most  southerly  is- 
land of  considerable  size  in  the  long  chain  which 
composes  the  group  known  as  the  Philippines.  It  is 
slightly  larger  than  the  State  of  Indiana,  its  area 
being  37,250  square  miles  and  its  population  about 
a half  million,  of  which  about  one  half  are  Moham- 
medans, or  “ Moros,”  a portion  of  the  remainder  be- 
ing of  the  Christian  faith  and  others  belonging  to 
various  wild  tribes.  Many  of  the  Mohammedans  be- 
long to  what  is  known  as  the  “ wild  tribes,”  having  in 
such  cases  adopted  but  few  of  the  customs  of  civili- 
zation, and  living  in  a manner  quite  similar  to  that 
of  the  American  Indians.  On  the  southwestern  end 
of  the  island  is  the  town  of  Zamboanga,  the  destina- 
tion of  the  little  steamer  on  which  the  young  ladies 
now  took  passage. 

As  the  vessel  left  the  harbor  of  Jolo  it  passed  the 
banks  where  the  pearl  fishing  was  in  progress.  Each 
of  the  little  boats  carried  a party  of  two  or  three  men, 
who  alternated  in  diving  to  the  bottom  in  search  of 
the  species  of  oyster  within  whose  shell  the  pearl  is 
found.  Each  man,  as  he  prepared  to  make  the  de- 
scent to  the  bottom,  swung  his  arms  wildly  and 
uttered  sundry  yells  and  howls,  which  the  captain 
informed  his  guests  was  the  method  which  they 
adopted  for  frightening  away  the  sharks,  with  which 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


109 


the  waters  are  infested.  It  was  noted,  however,  that 
they  did  not  depend  altogether  upon  this  process  for 
protection  from  the  sharks,  for  each  carried  with  him 
in  his  descent  a long  keen  knife,  which  he  used  to 
defend  himself  in  case  of  attack.  The  descent  was 
made  by  the  aid  of  a heavy  stone  attached  to  a rope, 
and  after  remaining  about  one  minute  at  the  bottom 
the  diver  returned  to  the  surface  for  breath,  bearing 
in  his  hands  such  of  the  oysters  as  he  could  find 
during  the  brief  stay  at  the  bottom. 

“ Shall  we  see  a different  class  of  people  when  we 
get  to  Zamboanga  ? ” asked  Miss  Dennison,  as  their 
vessel  got  under  way  and  the  captain  found  a respite 
from  the  duties  of  his  office. 

“ You  will  find  some  of  the  Christian  or  civilized 
Filipinos  there,”  said  Captain  Wilkins.  “ The  peo- 
ple who  inhabit  all  these  islands  are  of  Malay  stock, 
and  the  term  ‘ Moro,’  which  is  applied  to  the  people 
of  Sulu,  simply  means  that  they  are  of  the  Moham- 
medan religion.  The  people  of  all  these  East  Indian 
Islands,  including  Java,  Sumatra,  and  Borneo,  as 
well  as  the  Philippines,  are  Malays,  the  same  as 
those  of  the  Malayan  Peninsula,  and  you  doubtless 
saw  many  Malays  at  Singapore.  Java  was  con- 
quered by  the  Hindoos,  probably  from  India,  over  a 
thousand  years  ago,  and  Hindoo  influence  and  relig- 
ion extended  into  Borneo,  and  in  some  degree  into 


no 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


the  Philippine  Islands,  shown  by  the  many  Sanskrit 
words  found  in  the  languages  of  these  islands.  They 
were  followed,  however,  especially  in  Borneo  and  the 
Philippines,  by  the  Arabs  who  came  as  Mohammedan 
missionaries  about  five  or  six  hundred  years  ago. 
When  the  Spaniards  came  some  three  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago  they  found  the  Mohammedan  relig- 
ion not  only  in  these  southern  islands,  but  as  far 
north  as  Manila,  and  as  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  call  the  Mohammedans  £ Moors  ’ in  Spain,  they 
called  the  Mohammedans  of  these  islands  1 Moros.’ 
So,  really,  the  Moros  whom  yon  have  seen  are  most 
of  them  of  the  same  general  Malayan  stock  as  those 
farther  north,  the  principal  difference  being  that 
those  of  the  northern  islands  have  been  Christian- 
ized and,  to  a greater  or  less  degree,  civilized  by  the 
Spanish  during  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  of 
their  control.  They  never  fully  succeeded  in  con- 
quering the  Moros  or  in  introducing  their  religion 
or  customs  among  them.  Of  the  7,500,000  people  in 
the  islands,  about  7,000,000  have  a considerable  de- 
gree of  civilization,  and  are  adherents  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  nearly  all  of  the  Catholic  Church,  while 
about  a half  million  are  classed  as  ‘ wild  people,’  of 
which  number  nearly  one  half  are  Moros,  or  Moham- 
medans, the  remainder  of  the  ‘ wild  people  ’ being  of 
various  tribes  differing  from  one  another  in  degree 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


111 


of  barbarism.  Most  of  the  Moros  or  Mohamme- 
dans are  located  in  Tawi  Tawi,  Sulu,  and  parts  of 
Mindanao.” 

When  the  young  ladies  awoke  the  next  morning 
they  found  their  vessel  lying  at  a dock,  and  as  they 
came  on  deck  they  found  the  little  town  of  Zam- 
boanga lying  before  them.  It  is  an  old  Spanish 
town  nearly  two  hundred  years  old,  with  a pictur- 
esque fort,  a Catholic  church,  and  a few  stone  houses 
roofed  with  corrugated  iron;  but  most  of  the  houses, 
other  than  those  occupied  by  the  officers  and  mer- 
chants, were  of  bamboo  frames  with  thatched  roofs 
and  standing  on  high  posts  several  feet  above  the 
ground,  while  the  space  below  the  floors  was  in  many 
cases  utilized  by  pigs,  chickens,  and  goats. 

Breakfast  over,  the  captain  found  it  necessary  to 
give  his  personal  attention  to  some  official  duties; 
but  realizing  the  keen  interest  which  the  young  ladies 
must  feel  in  the  sights  so  strange  and  new  to  them, 
and  the  benefit  which  would  come  to  them  from  a 
ramble  on  shore  after  their  weary  weeks  on  board 
ship,  he  called  one  of  his  subordinate  officers  and 
directed  him  to  accompany  the  ladies  about  the 
town. 

“ This  young  man,”  he  explained  to  the  ladies,  “ is 
well  acquainted  in  Zamboanga,  and  is  able  to  speak 
the  Spanish  language,  which  most  of  the  natives  in 


112 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


the  town  and  surrounding  country  use,  and  I sug- 
gest that  you  spend  the  morning  seeing  the  town. 
The  place  is  not  a large  one,  but  the  people  and  their 
ways  are  so  different  from  those  you  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  that  they  will  be  quite  interesting;  when 
you  have  seen  enough  you  can  return  and  rest  on 
board  ship.  There  is  a church,  and  a schoolhouse 
where  there  is  an  American  teacher,  and  perhaps  you 
would  like  to  see  how  the  school  is  being  conducted, 
since  you  are  to  enter  upon  a work  of  this  kind 
shortly.” 

As  they  left  the  vessel  and  passed  to  the  town  they 
found  many  strange  sights  at  every  hand.  The  long 
narrow  street  which  formed  the  principal  thorough- 
fare was  crowded  with  people  of  many  nationalities 
and  varied  costumes.  There  were  Filipinos  dressed 
in  white  trousers  and  shirts  of  varied  colors,  the 
shirt  hanging  loosely,  as  though  the  wearer  had  for- 
gotten to  tuck  it  inside  his  trousers ; Chinamen  in 
the  peculiar  garb  which  characterizes  that  nationality 
wherever  seen,  the  head  surmounted  by  hats  of  enor- 
mous width,  which  served  as  umbrellas  for  the  body 
as  well  as  a protection  for  the  head ; Moros  wearing 
their  tightly  fitting  trousers  with  rows  of  gold  but- 
tons up  the  sides,  a girdle  of  some  bright  color  about 
the  waist,  and  a turban  of  many  folds  protecting  the 
head  from  the  rays  of  the  sun ; Spaniards  in  the  garb 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


113 


of  ordinary  business  men  in  European  or  American 
countries;  American  soldiers  in  hhaJci  uniforms,  and 
other  Americans  in  suits  of  snowy  white;  priests  in 
long  black  tunics,  with  curious  little  flat  hats  cover- 
ing their  closely  shaven  heads;  women  dressed  in 
dark  skirts  and  gayly  colored  jackets  with  enormous 
sleeves  which  stood  out  at  curious  angles  from  the 
shoulders ; old  women  marching  stoically  about  smok- 
ing huge  black  cigars ; and  children  clad  only  in  the 
garb  of  nature  and  smoking  cigarettes.  Goats,  pigs, 
and  cattle  roamed  the  streets  and  mingled  with  the 
crowds  of  people  or  busied  themselves  with  browsing 
among  the  luxurious  tropical  foliage  at  every  hand. 
Upon  the  streets  were  low  carts  loaded  with  merchan- 
dise of  various  sorts  and  pulled  by  big,  slow-moving 
oxen  with  broad  horns  drooping  beside  their  heads 
and  forming  a curious  framework  about  the  stolid- 
looking  faces  of  the  animals,  which  moved  with  the 
utmost  deliberation,  the  dark-brown  skin,  almost  de- 
void of  hair,  glistening  in  the  sun ; and,  perched  upon 
the  broad  back  the  driver  urged  the  slow-moving 
beast  with  sundry  kicks  from  his  bare  feet,  which 
dangled  at  its  sides.  As  the  visitors  reached  a broad, 
shallow  pool  of  water,  fringed  with  overhanging  trees 
whose  luxurious  foliage  shaded  the  muddy  waters, 
they  found  it  occupied  by  a score  of  these  huge  ani- 
mals wallowing  in  the  water  and  mud,  with  only 


114 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


their  heads  and  horns  visible,  while  the  drivers  sat 
patiently  upon  the  carts  from  which  the  beasts  had 
been  detached. 

“ These,”  said  the  young  officer,  “ are  the  carabao , 
of  which  you  have  doubtless  read.  They  are  the 
principal  beasts  of  burden  in  the  Philippine  Islands, 
and  are  of  very  great  service  to  the  people.  They 
pull  the  plow  in  the  muddy  rice  field  or  haul  their 
loads  along  the  road,  and  perform  all  the  duties  for 
which  we  rely  upon  the  horse  in  the  United  States. 
They  are  very  slow,  to  be  sure,  but  they  endure  this 
tropical  climate  well  if  they  are  given  an  opportu- 
nity to  wallow  in  the  mud  and  water  occasionally, 
but  become  quite  useless  and  unmanageable  unless 
they  are  given  this  privilege.  They  are  the  reliance 
of  the  family,  too,  as  you  see  by  this  group  of  people 
coming  from  the  country  with  their  supply  of  mate- 
rial for  the  market  ” ; and  he  pointed  to  a small  two- 
wheeled vehicle  laden  with  fruits  and  vegetables  and 
drawn  by  a huge  carabao,  upon  whose  back  were 
perched  a mother  and  two  children,  while  the  father 
trudged  contentedly  alongside,  his  freshly  starched 
shirt  hanging  to  his  knees  and  fluttering  in  the 
breeze  as  he  passed. 

Then  they  heard  the  sound  of  music,  which  seemed 
to  be  coming  nearer,  and  soon  a strange  procession, 
headed  by  a band  of  barefooted  musicians  clad  in 


ARABAO 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


115 


white  and  yellow  uniforms,  turned  the  corner  and 
moved  into  the  street  where  they  were  standing. 

“ This  is  a feast  day,  or  fiesta,  as  the  people  here 
call  it,”  explained  the  officer.  “ You  see,  a large  part 
of  the  people  here  are  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  they 
celebrate  many  festas  in  honor  of  their  patron  saints, 
and  to-day  chances  to  be  one  of  them.  That  fact 
accounts  for  the  presence  of  so  many  of  the  natives  on 
the  streets,  for  they  do  little  work  on  the  feast  days. 
They  are  on  the  way  to  the  church,  and  we  can  fall 
into  the  procession  and  see  the  ceremonies  in  the 
church,  if  you  wish.” 

As  he  said  this,  the  procession  began  to  pass  the 
point  at  which  they  were  standing.  Following  the 
band  was  a boy  with  a silk  banner  with  religious  de- 
vices, then  a man  bearing  a silver  crucifix,  and  on 
either  side  boys  carrying  huge  silver  candlesticks 
with  lighted  candles,  then  following  them  a choir  of 
boys  chanting  a solemn  mass,  and  then  a statue  of 
the  saint  whose  day  was  being  celebrated,  clad  in 
gorgeous  robes  and  borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  four 
men.  A sacristan  walked  sometimes  in  front  of  and 
sometimes  alongside  the  statue,  swinging  his  censer 
of  burning  incense,  and  following  next  was  the  par- 
ish priest  in  ecclesiastical  costume,  his  white  robes 
embroidered  with  gold  contrasting  strangely  with  the 
costumes  of  the  natives  who  thronged  the  street  and. 


116 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


doffing  their  hats,  knelt  in  worshipful  attitude  as 
the  procession  passed. 

The  young  ladies,  unaccustomed  to  this  strange 
spectacle,  stood  in  respectful  silence  as  the  proces- 
sion passed,  and  following  it  with  their  guide  en- 
tered the  church.  They  found  it  a substantial  edi- 
fice constructed  of  stone,  neatly  whitewashed  without 
and  within.  The  interior  was  dimly  lighted,  but  the 
altar  was  brilliant  with  the  blaze  of  many  candles. 
A part  of  the  interior  was  supplied  with  benches, 
and  these  were  partly  filled  with  waiting  people, 
while  the  broad  open  space  just  within  the  doors 
was  occupied  by  a throng  of  kneeling  men  and 
women  counting  their  beads  and  engaged  in  devotion. 
Lighted  candles  were  passed  among  the  members  of 
the  congregation  and  the  solemn  services  began,  the 
choir  being  assisted  at  times  by  the  brass  band  which 
had  led  the  procession. 

“ Now,”  said  the  young  officer,  as  he  led  the  way 
from  the  church  at  the  close  of  the  services,  “ we  will 
go  to  the  school,  for  I presume  you  would  like  to  see 
a school  for  the  Filipinos  as  it  is  being  conducted  by 
an  American  teacher.” 

“ Yes,”  responded  the  young  ladies  simultane- 
ously, “ we  should  very  much  like  to  visit  the  school.” 

“ We  will  take  this  carromata ,”  said  the  officer, 
pointing  to  a small  vehicle  which  was  passing  drawn 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


117 


by  a diminutive  pony.  “Hi  there,  cochero!”  he 
shouted,  addressing  the  driver,  who  quickly  pulled 
up  his  slowly  moving  pony  and  awaited  orders. 

“ La  escuela  Americana ,”  he  said  in  his  best  Span- 
ish to  the  driver,  after  they  had  stowed  themselves 
inside  the  small  vehicle  and  the  driver  had  taken  his 
seat  on  the  shafts  just  at  the  rear  of  the  pony.  “ La 
escuela  Americana .” 

“ Which  means  ‘ the  American  school,’  I suppose,” 
said  Miss  Dennison  with  a laugh. 

“ Quite  right,  Miss  Dennison,”  said  the  officer 
bowing ; “ I did  not  know  that  you  understood 
Spanish.” 

“ Only  a little,”  said  Miss  Dennison  with  a blush. 
“ I picked  up  a few  Spanish  phrases  in  my  expe- 
rience as  a nurse  during  the  war  in  Cuba.” 

In  a few  minutes  their  carromata  stopped  in  front 
of  a neat  bamboo  building  with  the  American  flag 
waving  above  the  brown  nipa  roof.  The  windows, 
made  of  translucent  shells,  for  use  only  in  inclement 
weather,  had  been  shoved  back,  leaving  big  openings 
in  the  walls  admitting  air  as  well  as  light,  and  within 
they  saw  a group  of  boys  and  girls,  and  among  them 
a young  man  instructing  them  in  the  use  of  the 
English  language. 

“ Our  first  work,”  he  said,  when  he  had  been 
introduced  to  the  young  ladies  and  had  expressed 


118 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


his  pleasure  in  meeting  them,  “ is  to  teach  the  people 
to  speak  and  understand  our  language.  All  of  my 
conversation  with  them  is  in  the  English  language, 
and  we  begin  with  the  most  simple  words,  illustrated 
by  the  use  of  objects  familiar  to  them. 

“ What  is  this  which  I hold  in  my  hand,  Miguel  ? ” 
he  said  to  one  of  the  younger  pupils. 

“ A ball,  Senor  teacher,”  was  the  ready  reply  of 
the  young  Eilipino,  anxious  to  show  to  the  visitors 
his  familiarity  with  the  English  language. 

“ And  what  is  this  with  which  I hold  it  ? ” was 
the  next  question. 

“ Your  hand,”  came  the  ready  response  from  a 
half-dozen  pairs  of  lips. 

“ ISTow  I lay  it  down,”  said  the  teacher.  “ What 
is  this  on  which  I have  laid  the  ball  ? ” 

“ You  have  laid  it  upon  the  table,”  came  the  reply. 

“ And  what  is  this  which  I now  hold  in  my 
hand  ? ” said  the  teacher  producing  a book. 

“ A book ! ” cried  a dozen  voices ; “ the  book  is  on 
the  table,”  they  added  as  he  laid  it  aside. 

“ And  what  is  the  book  used  for  ? ” was  the  next 
question. 

“ To  learn  to  read  the  English  language,”  came 
the  response. 

Then  the  work  of  the  more  advanced  classes  was 
shown.  They  were  taught  to  read  and  write  the 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


119 


English  language  and  the  simple  rules  of  mathe- 
matics, while  a few  of  the  young  men  and  one  or 
more  of  the  young  women  had  so  far  advanced  that 
they  were  about  to  he  sent  to  other  sections  of  the 
island  to  establish  schools  among  the  natives. 

“ Many  of  the  people  of  the  island,”  said  the 
teacher,  “ have  shown  an  earnest  desire  to  learn  the 
English  language  for  themselves,  and  to  see  also  that 
their  children  obtain  an  education,  which  will  give 
them  better  positions  in  life  and  make  them  more 
useful.  There  are  already  several  thousand  people 
attending  schools  in  this  island  alone,  and  many  of 
the  people  of  adult  age  are  attending  the  night 
schools  and  working  hard  for  an  education.” 

After  an  hour  spent  studying  the  school  and  the 
methods  of  those  engaged  in  teaching  the  young 
Eilipinos,  the  ladies  and  their  guide  turned  their 
faces  again  toward  the  little  dock  at  which  their 
steamer  was  lying.  As  they  arrived  on  board  the 
vessel  and  seated  themselves  in  a shady  spot  on  the 
deck,  they  saw  a large  ship  lying  in  the  harbor 
flying  the  American  flag  and  with  steam  up  as  if 
about  to  take  her  departure.  As  they  looked  they 
saw  a man  run  nimbly  down  the  steps  which  led  from 
the  deck  to  the  water’s  edge,  beckon  to  one  of  the 
many  rowboats  which  were  waiting  for  passengers, 
throw  his  baggage  into  it,  spring  after  it,  and  head 


120 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


the  boat  toward  a distant  and  apparently  unfre- 
quented part  of  the  shore.  The  paddles  moved  vigor- 
ously, and  the  little  boat  shot  toward  the  land  with 
a speed  which  caused  the  young  ladies  considerable 
surprise.  As  it  approached  the  land  there  was  a 
commotion  on  board  the  vessel  from  which  its  pas- 
senger had  made  his  hurried  departure,  and  in  a 
moment  an  officer,  mounting  the  bridge,  shouted 
through  a megaphone : “ Arrest  the  man  in  that  row- 
boat. He  is  wanted  on  a charge  of  shooting  a man 
just  as  this  vessel  was  leaving  the  dock  at  Hew 
York ! ” 

The  megaphone  call  awakened  to  activity  the 
crowd  of  people  who  were  loitering  about  the  dock 
to  which  the  West  Virginia  was  attached.  A captain 
of  police,  who  chanced  to  be  present  among  the  crowd 
of  coolies  who  were  carrying  supplies  from  the  ves- 
sel to  the  military  post  and  returning  with  fruit  and 
other  local  supplies  for  its  use,  rushed  excitedly  about 
shouting  orders  to  his  subordinates,  who  tumbled 
over  each  other  in  a confused  mass  tugging  at  a 
couple  of  small  rowboats,  which  finally  got  away 
carrying  a squad  of  police  armed  with  bolos  and  a sin- 
gle repeating  rifle  of  rather  ancient  pattern.  By  this 
time  the  boat  containing  the  escaping  man  from  the 
big  American  vessel  had  made  good  progress  in  its 
race  for  the  shore  and  seemed  likely  to  arrive  there 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


121 


before  it  could  possibly  be  overtaken  by  the  police. 
Suddenly  tlie  paddle  of  one  of  the  rowers  snapped, 
the  boat  carrying  the  fugitive  swung  around  and 
came  almost  to  a halt,  while  that  containing  the 
police  continued  to  make  rapid  headway  in  the  race. 

It  seemed  for  a moment  that  they  were  to  be  vic- 
torious, that  the  good  luck  which  had  followed  Wallace 
Addison  was  about  to  desert  him  and  that  he  would 
certainly  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  representatives 
of  the  police.  On  sped  the  boats  with  the  police, 
narrowing  at  every  stroke  the  space  between  them 
and  the  fleeing  man.  Suddenly  the  man  drew  from 
his  pocket  two  silver  dollars,  held  them  up  before  the 
eyes  of  his  boatmen,  evidently  urging  them  to  make 
the  land  before  they  were  overtaken.  This  stimu- 
lated them  to  renewed  activity.  The  man  whose  oar 
had  been  broken,  removing  from  his  head  the  heavy 
Chinese  hat  which  he  wore,  leaned  over  the  side  of 
the  boat,  and  substituting  the  hat  for  the  paddle, 
with  strong,  steady  sweeps  again  headed  the  boat  for 
the  shore.  As  he  did  so  the  passenger  rose  to  his 
feet.  Taking  a repeating  rifle  from  his  traveling 
case,  he  quickly  adjusted  it  for  immediate  use,  fill- 
ing its  chambers  with  cartridges,  and  stood  watching 
the  progress  of  the  police  boat,  whose  rowers,  alarmed 
by  this  unexpected  evidence  of  hostility,  quickly 
slackened  their  speed.  Despite  the  threats  of  the 


122 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


captain  they  permitted  the  space  between  them  and 
the  fleeing  man  to  grow  gradually  greater.  Mean- 
time the  captain’s  launch  had  been  lowered  from 
the  West  Virginia,  and  a half-dozen  marines  headed 
by  an  officer  joined  in  the  race  after  the  fugitive. 
At  the  same  moment  another  launch  shot  out  from 
the  big  ship  from  which  the  man  had  made  his  es- 
cape. The  race  was  a most  exciting  one,  and  for  a 
few  minutes  it  looked  as  though  he  would  surely  be 
captured. 

Suddenly  an  enormous  black  cloud  swung  across 
the  bay  with  the  suddenness  experienced  only  in  the 
tropics,  a gust  of  wind  set  the  whitecaps  running, 
the  boat  carrying  the  police  was  overturned  and 
the  policemen  and  captain  were  seen  swimming  for 
their  lives;  while  a wave  catching  the  boat  of  the 
fleeing  man  swept  it  rapidly  toward  the  shore.  At 
that  moment  the  black  clouds  which  had  been  over- 
hanging the  harbor  swept  downward,  completely  en- 
veloping the  spot,  lashing  the  waves  into  fury,  and 
sending  torrents  of  rain  through  which  nothing  could 
be  seen,  compelling  the  occupants  of  the  launches 
to  devote  their  entire  energies  to  self-preservation. 

When  its  violence  had  abated  and  the  search  was 
renewed  neither  the  boat  nor  its  occupants  could  be 
found. 


CHAPTER  IX 


The  reader  will  readily  recognize  the  fact  that  the 
big  American  vessel  lying  in  the  offing  on  the  occa- 
sion described  in  the  last  chapter  was  that  on  which 
the  young  ladies  had  made  the  trip  from  Hew  York 
to  Port  Said,  and  that  the  passenger  who  took  his 
hurried  departure  by  native  rowboat  was  none  other 
than  Wallace  Addison.  How  he  had  managed  to  es- 
cape with  his  life  when  falling  overboard  into  the  sea 
in  the  midst  of  the  typhoon,  as  described  in  a previous 
chapter,  seemed  difficult  to  understand. 

“ But  it  is  no  more  wonderf  ul  than  his  numerous 
other  escapes  from  death,”  said  Miss  Dennison  as  she 
described  the  incident  to  Captain  Wilkins.  “ Just 
think  of  it,  Henry,”  she  said,  forgetting  his  rank 
and  title  as  her  thoughts  were  carried  back  to  the 
events  described  in  “ Uncle  Sam’s  Secrets  ” and 
“ Uncle  Sam’s  Soldiers,”  a time  long  before  Henry 
Wilkins  had  dreamed  of  even  a service  in  the  navy, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  honor  of  wearing  the  uniform 

of  a captain. 

9 


123 


124 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ Yes,”  said  the  captain  musingly ; “ his  adven- 
tures, so  far  as  we  know  them,  began  with  his  escape 
from  the  officers  at  the  Philadelphia  Mint,  where  he 
had  stolen  a die  for  counterfeiting  purposes  and 
managed  to  slip  it  into  Dan  Patterson’s  pocket  and 
the  counterfeit  bills  into  his  traveling  bag,  causing 
that  brave  fellow  no  end  of  trouble,  though  he  came 
triumphantly  out  of  it. 

“ Then  his  next  adventure,  as  I now  recall,”  con- 
tinued the  captain  after  a moment  of  reflection,  “ was 
his  plunge  into  the  river  to  escape  the  officers  who 
were  after  him  on  the  charge  of  counterfeiting,  and 
his  disappearance  in  the  midst  of  the  rushing  flood 
which  carried  him  out  of  sight  beneath  the  water. 
How  he  ever  came  out  of  that  alive  I don’t  know, 
though  it  is  a fact  that  he  was  an  expert  swimmer. 
Let’s  see,  Sallie,  the  discovery  of  his  counterfeiting 
den  in  that  cave  at  home  was  made  by  you,  wasn’t  it  ? 
You  know  it  all  happened  before  I came  to  that 
neighborhood.” 

“ Well,”  replied  Miss  Dennison  with  a sad  smile, 
as  she  recalled  the  many  painful  incidents  connected 
with  Addison’s  history  and  that  of  her  own  family, 
“ I was  in  the  cave  when  the  discovery  was  made,  but 
think  I am  not  entitled  to  much  credit  for  it.  My 
awful  fall  through  the  trapdoor  in  his  office  ” — she 
shuddered  as  she  spoke — “ showed  the  connection  be- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


125 


tween  his  office  and  the  counterfeiting  den  in  the 
cave  which  Professor  Silurian  and  Dan’s  foster 
brothers  had  found ; but  that  is  about  all  I had  to 
do  with  it.” 

“ By  no  means,”  said  the  captain  earnestly.  “ It 
was  your  bravely  told  story  during  that  trial  in 
Washington,  when  Dan  Patterson’s  liberty  and  repu- 
tation were  at  stake,  that  saved  him  and  showed  that 
Addison  was  the  guilty  party.” 

“ Oh,  what  a glorious  sunset ! ” said  Miss  Denni- 
son, springing  to  her  feet  and  pointing  to  the  west- 
ern sky,  which  was  gorgeous  in  crimson  and  gold  and 
blue — such  a sunset  as  can  be  seen  only  in  the  tropics, 
and  especially  in  the  Philippines.  It  was  indeed  a 
most  brilliant  spectacle,  though  Miss  Dennison’s  real 
purpose  had  been  to  turn  the  conversation  from  a 
subject  which  aroused  so  many  painful  memories  in 
her  mind. 

For  a few  moments  they  stood  spellbound  watch- 
ing the  picture  before  them,  the  great  masses  of  black 
cloud  lighted  up  by  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  now 
taking  the  form  of  castles  through  whose  windows 
streamed  tongues  of  glowing  fire,  now  looking  like 
a flame-swept  forest,  now  sinking  into  a peaceful 
golden  haze,  while  the  long  lines  of  feathery  clouds 
in  the  distance  reflected  the  soft  rays  of  the  disap- 
pearing sun. 


126 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ Yes/’  said  the  captain,  “ I have  seen  hundreds 
of  them,  the  most  beautiful  sunsets  in  the  world,  and 
so  beautiful  that  I can  never  fail  to  admire  them,  no 
matter  how  often  they  are  seen.  But  just  a few 
words  more  about  Mr.  Addison,”  he  said,  resuming 
his  seat.  “ Tell  me  about  his  part  in  the  war  with 
Spain,  for  I have  heard  that  he  was  a Spanish  spy 
in  Cuba.  You  know  I left  for  the  Philippines  the 
very  day  that  Dan  and  I offered  our  services  to  the 
Government,  and  so  did  not  know  much  about  the 
things  that  happened  after  that.” 

“ He  made  his  appearance,”  said  Miss  Dennison, 
“ at  one  of  the  government  arsenals  where  large  guns 
were  being  made  for  use  in  the  war,  and  was  obtain- 
ing all  the  information  he  could  about  them.  When 
the  army  was  encamped  in  Plorida,  awaiting  trans- 
portation to  Cuba,  he  was  discovered  in  a tree  top, 
where  he  had  tapped  the  telegraph  wires  and  was 
obtaining  information  to  be  supplied  to  the  enemy, 
but  managed  to  escape  and  secrete  himself  on  board 
one  of  the  vessels  which  carried  the  troops  to  Cuba. 
On  the  way  he  was  observed,  and  in  attempting  to 
escape  fell  into  the  sea  and  was  saved  from  a shark 
by  Dan  Patterson.  When  the  ship  landed  in  Cuba 
he  took  advantage  of  the  confusion  and  escaped,  but 
was  found  within  the  American  lines  at  Santiago, 
and  again  attempting  to  escape  he  was  shot  and  was 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


127 


supposed  to  have  been  killed.  But  it  seems  that  he 
recovered,  for  he  was  on  the  vessel  on  which  we  left 
New  York.  I know  I saw  him  pass  our  stateroom 
just  after  we  had  gone  on  hoard.” 

“ And  doubtless  it  was  he  who  fired  the  shot  at 
Dan,”  said  the  captain  with  emotion.  “ I read  about 
it  in  the  dispatches  from  Yew  York,  and  have  just 
received  a letter  from  Dan  with  particulars.  He  is  a 
dangerous  man  and  his  presence  here,  if  he  reached 
the  shore  alive,  means  mischief  of  some  sort.  There 
is  no  better  place  than  this  to  carry  on  counterfeiting 
operations,  for  most  of  the  money  used  in  this  part 
of  the  world  is  silver,  which  is  easily  counterfeited 
with  sufficient  accuracy  to  circulate  among  these  peo- 
ple. By  cooperating  with  the  Moro  pirates,  not  only 
can  he  find  a ready  means  of  disposing  of  his  coun- 
terfeit money,  but  he  can  also  encourage  them  to 
hostilities  against  the  Government.  I have  given 
instructions  for  a careful  search  of  the  surrounding 
country,  but  the  chances  of  finding  a man  in  these 
tropical  forests  are  not  promising.” 

The  next  morning  the  captain  appeared  at  the 
breakfast  table  with  a troubled  look  on  his  face. 

“ I’m  afraid  we  are  not  going  to  get  into  Manila 
as  soon  as  I had  hoped,”  he  said.  “ I have  just 
received  a telegram  directing  me  to  go  to  Lake  Lanao, 
in  the  interior  of  this  island,  where  we  have  some 


128 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


military  posts  -which  require  supplies  and  other  at- 
tention. Lake  Lanao  is  about  forty  miles  in  the  inte- 
rior, but  to  get  there  I must  go  to  Malabang,  on 
Illana  Bay,  on  the  south  shore  of  the  island,  and 
then  go  by  wagon  train  to  Lake  Lanao.” 

“ But  what  are  we  to  do  in  the  meantime  ? ” in- 
quired Miss  Saxton,  who  regarded  her  strange  sur- 
roundings with  constant  anxiety. 

“ That  is  a matter  which  you  must  decide,”  said 
the  captain.  “ When  I received  the  telegram  I 
thought  it  might  be  best  for  you  to  regain  your 
places  on  the  vessel  on  which  we  left  Hew  York  and 
which  was  lying  in  the  harbor  yesterday,  but  when 
I made  inquiry  as  to  her  whereabouts  I found  that 
she  had  left  at  daylight  for  Iloilo,  where  there  are 
better  facilities  for  the  repairs  which  her  officers  had 
intended  to  make  here.” 

“ Then  there  is,  of  course,  nothing  for  us  to  do  but 
to  go  with  you,  if  you  will  take  us,”  said  Miss  Den- 
nison resolutely,  “ or  at  least  that  seems  to  me  better 
than  remaining  here  among  strangers.  We  can  at 
least  remain  on  the  steamer  and  go  with  it  as  far  as 
it  goes,  and  perhaps  you  will  think  it  best  for  us  to 
remain  on  board  the  steamer  while  you  make  the 
trip  to  Lake  Lanao  by  land.” 

“ That  seems  to  me  the  best  thing  to  do,”  said  the 
captain.  “ The  American  officer  in  command  at 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


129 


Malabang  has  his  wife  and  daughters  with  him,  and 
I am  sure  they  will  be  glad  to  have  you  remain 
under  their  protection  while  I make  the  forty-mile 
trip  to  Lanao  and  return.  It  is  a real  treat,  you 
know,  to  the  few  Americans  here  to  have  visitors 
from  the  United  States,  and  you  may  be  sure  that 
you  will  be  welcomed  by  Lieutenant  Baker  and  his 
family.” 

In  a few  minutes  a cloud  of  black  smoke  was  roll- 
ing from  the  smokestacks  of  the  T Vest  Virginia , and 
soon  it  turned  its  nose  in  a northeasterly  direction. 
If  the  reader  will  again  consult  his  map  he  will  see 
on  the  south  shore  of  the  island  of  Mindanao,  just 
east  of  Zamboanga  Peninsula,  a deep  indentation, 
the  eastern  arm  of  which  is  designated  as  Illana 
Bay.  It  was  to  this  bay,  on  whose  eastern  shore 
is  located  the  town  of  Malabang,  that  the  little 
steamer  made  its  way  among  the  groups  of  fishing 
vessels  which  lined  the  coast.  The  travelers  were 
greeted  by  thousands  of  curious  people  who  came  off 
in  the  strange,  narrow  rowboats  common  to  that 
country  and  clamored  for  the  privilege  of  diving 
after  pennies,  which  they  immediately  deposited  in 
their  capacious  mouths,  and  clamored  for  more. 

“ We  shall  be  glad  to  have  the  young  ladies  re- 
main here  while  you  make  the  trip  to  Lanao,”  said 
Lieutenant  Baker  when  Captain  Wilkins  had  intro- 


130 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


duced  him  to  Misses  Dennison  and  Saxton  and  had 
explained  the  situation.  “ I think  they  had  better 
leave  the  vessel  and  come  up  to  our  bungalow  on 
top  of  the  mountain,  where  they  will  be  much  more 
comfortable,  for  it  is  more  than  a thousand  feet 
above  the  sea  level,  much  cooler,  and  fairly  free 
from  mosquitoes  and  other  discomforts  in  the  har- 
bor. Meantime  I shall  propose  a temporary  trade 
with  you.  A young  man  who  has  recently  come  out 
from  the  United  States  as  a teacher  has  been  assigned 
to  this  place  and  is  very  anxious  to  learn  something 
of  the  interior  of  the  island.  His  school  does  not 
open  for  several  weeks,  and  he  has  asked  me  to 
intercede  with  you  in  his  behalf  and  see  if  you 
will  be  willing  to  take  him  with  you  on  your  trip  to 
Lanao.” 

So  it  was  quickly  arranged  that  the  young  ladies 
should  remain  at  the  bungalow  of  Lieutenant  Baker, 
while  Captain  Wilkins  readily  assented  to  the  re- 
quest that  the  young  teacher,  Mr.  Teller,  should 
accompany  him  to  Lake  Lanao. 

“ There  will  be  plenty  to  amuse  the  young  ladies 
during  your  absence,  I think,”  said  Lieutenant 
Baker,  “ even  in  this  small  and  comparatively  out- 
of-the-way  place.  There  is  a school  in  progress  un- 
der charge  of  an  experienced  teacher ; there  are  the 
markets  to  which  the  natives  come  with  their  sup- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


131 


plies  for  the  camp  and  the  town ; there  are  the  quaint 
old  Catholic  church  and  the  Mohammedan  mosque, 
in  each  of  which  services  are  held,  and  the  variety  of 
population  and  costume,  so  different  from  that  which 
we  have  at  home,  will  he  interesting  to  those  not 
acquainted  with  these  people  and  their  ways.” 

“How  delightful!  ” ejaculated  Miss  Saxton  after 
the  lieutenant  had  left  to  arrange  for  the  reception 
of  his  guests.  “ I suppose  it  will  he  just  like  camp- 
ing out,  for  the  lieutenant  said  that  we  would  he 
welcome  at  his  ‘ bungalow.’  ” 

“ Hot  necessarily,”  replied  Captain  Wilkins  with 
a smile.  “ The  word  bungalow  is  quite  commonly 
used  in  this  part  of  the  world  for  residences.  It 
probably  originated  in  India,  where  it  is  generally 
used,  but  as  I have  already  told  you,  there  are  many 
words  in  the  languages  here  which  were  evidently 
brought  by  the  Hindoos  who  occupied  these  islands 
a thousand  years  or  so  ago,  and  you  will  find  the 
word  bungalow  applied  to  residences  almost  every- 
where.” 

The  next  morning  the  young  ladies  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  bungalow,  which  quite  justified  the 
promise  of  Captain  Wilkins  that  they  would  find  it 
a comfortable  place  of  abode.  It  was  a large,  one- 
story  house  built  of  native  woods,  with  polished 
floors,  carved  pillars,  and  broad  verandas.  The  win- 


132 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


clows  were  large  sliding  frames  subdivided  into  tiny 
squares,  each  square  filled  with  a translucent  shell, 
which  gave  the  effect  of  ground  glass ; but  these 
broad  frames  were  pushed  aside  at  all  times  when 
not  required  for  protection,  thus  giving  a free  circu- 
lation of  air,  while  the  broad  passageways  between 
the  large  rooms,  and  comfortable  chairs  and  couches 
made  of  bamboo  and  rattan,  added  to  the  attractive- 
ness within.  The  ordinary  ceiling  had  been  omitted, 
and  the  steep  rafters  which  supported  the  heavily 
thatched  roof  were  ornamented  with  a great  variety 
of  curios  which  the  lieutenant  and  his  family  had 
gathered  during  their  stay  in  the  islands.  Dark- 
skinned  servants,  clad  in  spotless  white  garments 
and  bright-colored  turbans,  scurried  hither  and 
thither  putting  the  apartments  in  order ; the  polished 
floors,  made  of  heavy  planks  of  rosewood,  vied  in  re- 
splendence with  the  pretty  upright  piano  which  occu- 
pied a corner  of  the  room  into  which  the  ladies  were 
ushered,  and  above  their  heads  the  •punkas  swung 
gently  to  and  fro,  moved  by  the  hand  of  a youthful 
Filipino  whose  brown  legs  and  feet  contrasted  well 
with  the  white  of  his  camisa  and  trousers. 

Meantime  Captain  Wilkins  was  busily  engaged 
getting  his  wagon  train  under  way,  accompanied  by 
a guard  of  marines  which  was  strengthened  by  a de- 
tachment from  the  army  post;  for  the  captain  re- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


133 


called  with  some  anxiety  his  experience  at  Maibun 
in  the  island  of  Sulu,  and  preferred  an  assurance  of 
safety  for  the  valuables  which  his  train  carried  to  the 
post  at  Lake  Lanao. 

The  trip  to  the  lake,  although  devoid  of  novelty 
to  the  captain,  who  had  been  frequently  over  the  road, 
was  full  of  interest  to  his  guest,  Mr.  Teller,  who  had 
but  just  arrived  from  the  United  States  and  had 
therefore  seen  nothing  of  the  interior  of  the  island 
or  its  people.  He  plied  the  captain  with  questions 
about  the  many  curious  sights  and  sounds,  and  more 
than  once  Captain  Wilkins  found  himself  reminded 
of  Dan  Patterson  in  the  persistence  of  his  inquiries 
and  his  desire  for  information. 

As  they  moved  out  from  the  little  town  the  road 
passed  through  a low,  flat  country  with  ricefields 
on  either  side.  Some  of  these  were  just  being  plowed 
with  the  patient  carabao,  others  had  passed  that 
stage  and  were  flooded  to  a depth  of  several  inches 
from  the  little  irrigation  ditches  which  carried  the 
water  to  them,  and  in  still  others  the  rice  plants 
had  attained  such  a growth  as  to  cover  the  land  with 
a thick  coating  of  bright  green.  In  other  places 
there  were  fields  of  hemp  which  seemed  to  promise 
a profitable  return  to  the  owners,  and  beside  them 
acre  after  acre  of  Indian  corn,  which  flourishes  even 
in  a tropical  climate,  and  which  reminded  both  the 


134 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


young  men  of  the  great  cornfields  of  the  United 
States.  By  the  roadside,  partly  concealed  by  groves 
of  palms  or  bananas,  were  attractive  little  houses  of 
bamboo  frames  with  sides  and  roof  of  nipa  or  cogon, 
while  pigs,  chickens,  ponies,  and  carabao  scattered 
about  them  suggested  a fair  supply  of  the  require- 
ments of  life  among  their  owners. 

“ I am  surprised  to  find  so  many  evidences  of 
civilization  among  these  people,”  said  Mr.  Teller,  as 
they  took  their  seats  in  the  comfortable  ambulance 
which  had  been  assigned  for  their  use  on  the  trip. 
“ I expected  to  find  chiefly  savages,  living  in  tree 
tops  and  subsisting  on  roots  and  berries  or  the 
product  of  the  chase.  We  have  read  so  much  about 
the  uncivilized  condition  of  the  Moros  in  these  south- 
ern islands  that  I am  quite  gratified  to  find  so  much 
of  civilization  among  them.” 

“ Yes,”  replied  Captain  Wilkins,  “ the  conditions 
in  the  Philippine  Islands  are  not  so  far  from  civili- 
zation as  many  people  have  pictured  them.  Of  course 
there  are  many  things  here  which  are  radically  dif- 
ferent from  those  to  which  we  have  been  accustomed, 
and  it  is  quite  natural  that  those  writing  home  about 
them  should  discuss  chiefly  the  things  which  are  new 
and  strange  to  them.  But  there  is  much  more  of 
European  and  American  civilization  here  than  most 
people  suppose ; you  find  more  and  more  of  it  as  you 


A COUNTRY  SCENE  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


135 


move  toward  the  northern  islands  of  the  group,  for 
it  is  only  about  a half  century  since  the  Spaniards 
came  into  any  sort  of  control  over  these  southern 
islands,  except  at  a very  few  points  on  the  coast  where 
they  had  maintained  military  stations  much  longer 
than  that.” 

“ But  about  the  Moros.  Are  they  really  so  numer- 
ous and  so  dangerous  an  element  of  the  population 
here  as  has  been  claimed  ? ” 

“ No.  They  make  up  the  bulk  of  the  population 
of  the  little  islands  of  Sulu  and  Tawi  Tawi,  but  those 
islands  combined  are  no  bigger  than  a county  in 
some  of  our  States,  and  they  number  about  150,000 
in  this  island.  The  entire  number  of  Moros  in  all 
the  Philippine  Islands  was,  according  to  the  census 
of  1903,  about  a quarter  of  a million  out  of  a total 
population  of  over  seven  and  a half  millions.  Even 
in  this  island  they  form  but  one  fourth  of  the  total 
population,  and  as  you  go  farther  north  they  grow 
less.  So  you  see,  their  importance  has  been  very 
much  exaggerated.” 

The  sights  and  sounds  as  they  passed  through  the 
tropical  forest  were  new  and  strange  and  interesting 
to  Mr.  Teller.  Monkeys  swung  from  the  long  vines 
which  hung  from  the  forest  trees  and  chattered  and 
scolded  as  they  passed ; parrots  in  green  and  yellow 
and  red  shrieked  from  the  tree  tops ; birds  of  bright 


136 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


plumage  flitted  from  tree  to  tree ; crows  in  great  num- 
bers hopped  by  the  roadside  or  cawed  insolently  from 
the  rocks  near  by;  huge  bats  with  wings  measuring 
nearly  a yard  from  tip  to  tip  flew  noiselessly  from 
the  tree  tops  where  they  had  hung  head  downward, 
sleeping  the  day  away,  until  startled  by  the  unusual 
sounds  of  the  passing  cavalcade. 

As  the  sun  approached  the  meridian  and  the  heat 
of  the  midday  became  intense  a halt  was  made  and 
the  native  attendants,  in  accordance  with  the  usual 
custom  of  the  tropics,  threw  themselves  on  the  ground 
and  were  soon  fast  asleep,  with  the  exception  of  those 
whose  duties  as  personal  servants  kept  them  awake 
at  their  posts  of  duty.  The  heat  was  overpowering. 
The  leaves  of  the  tropical  plants  drooped  beneath  the 
burning  rays.  Birds  flew  to  shelter  and  sought  the 
densest  shade.  The  carabao  hastened  to  the  nearest 
stream  and,  wallowing  in  the  mud,  lay  with  only 
their  heads  above  the  water  and  slept  peacefully. 
Yielding  to  the  impulse  of  all  nature  for  relaxation 
in  the  midst  of  this  fearful  heat,  the  captain  and 
his  guest  stretched  themselves  in  hammocks  which 
their  Moro  servants  had  hung  beneath  a tree  and  fell 
asleep,  with  their  servants  at  their  sides  and  a sentry 
pacing  back  and  forth  on  either  hand. 

Suddenly  there  was  a rustle  in  the  leaves  above, 
a gliding  movement,  and  something  long  and  glis- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


137 


tening  was  precipitated  from  the  tree  toward  the 
hammock  in  which  Captain  Wilkins  was  lying. 
Then  there  was  a shout,  a long  sharp  hr  is  gleamed 
in  the  air,  and  in  an  instant  the  camp  was  in  con- 
fusion, with  guards  running  from  every  direction  to 
the  spot. 


CHAPTER  ® 


The  first  day  of  the  young  ladies  in  the  Oriental 
bungalow  passed  quietly  enough,  and  a considerable 
part  of  it  in  that  dreamy  fashion  which  is  supposed 
to  be  the  chief  factor  of  life  in  all  well-ordered  Ori- 
ental bungalows.  The  wife  and  daughters  of  Lieu- 
tenant Baker  were  attentive  and  cordial,  and  spent 
the  morning  chatting  with  them  about  the  United 
States  and  about  their  strange  adventures  on  the 
trip  from  Hew  York  to  that  place.  Breakfast  was 
served  at  ten  o’clock,  a custom  in  the  Orient,  where 
the  early  risers  content  themselves  with  a cup  of  cof- 
fee and  a biscuit,  and  defer  the  real  breakfast  until 
a later  hour. 

“We  shall  have  tiffin  at  three  o’clock,”  said  Miss 
Baker,  “ and  now  that  you  have  had  so  tiresome  a 
journey  I advise  you  to  follow  the  custom  of  the 
East  and  take  your  siesta  in  the  middle  of  the  day.” 
The  young  ladies  found  the  advice  good,  and  re- 
turning to  their  apartment  were  soon  sleeping  sound- 
ly, quite  unaware  of  the  danger  at  that  moment  sur- 

138 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


139 


rounding  Captain  Wilkins,  as  related  in  the  last 
chapter.  At  three  o’clock  tiffin  was  served,  the  white- 
robed  servants  moving  silently  over  the  polished  floor 
in  bare  feet,  while  the  gently  moving  punkas  over 
their  heads  kept  the  air  in  constant  motion  and  made 
them  forget  the  blazing  heat  without.  At  six  o’clock 
a comfortable  carromata  was  at  the  door.  It  was 
driven  by  a native  cochero  in  livery  of  brown  linen, 
wearing  a huge  cape  fringed  with  red  and  a curiously 
shaped  hat  which  looked  like  a washbowl  turned  bot- 
tom side  up.  A light  shower  had  cooled  the  air, 
and  the  young  ladies,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Baker 
and  her  daughters,  greatly  enjoyed  the  drive  over  a 
beautiful  road  lined  with  majestic  palms.  The  way 
led  them  into  a park  just  outside  the  town,  where  a 
native  band  discoursed  music  each  evening  to  the 
delight  of  the  townspeople.  The  sight  was  a most 
interesting  one  to  the  young  ladies.  The  presidente 
(by  which  is  meant  the  mayor  of  the  town)  soon  ap- 
peared in  his  carriage,  and  his  arrival  was  the  signal 
for  the  music  to  begin.  People  of  all  classes  were 
there ; the  officers  and  private  soldiers  of  the  military 
post,  the  families  of  the  leading  merchants  and  other 
principal  men  of  the  town  appeared  in  evening  cos- 
tumes, riding  back  and  forth  along  the  roadway  set 
aside  for  carriages ; while  those  who  were  not  fortu- 
nate enough  to  command  a carromata  or  quelis  con- 


140 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


tented  themselves  with  seats  on  the  grass  or  wan- 
dered about  chatting  with  their  acquaintances  and 
enjoying  the  music  as  only  a Filipino  can. 

“ And  now,”  said  Mrs.  Baker,  “ we  must  do  our 
marketing.  The  market  is  held  here  in  the  evening, 
for  it  seems  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the  people  bet- 
ter, and  it  is  not  so  hot  as  in  the  daytime.  The  mar- 
ket place  is  the  plaza  in  the  center  of  the  town,  and 
the  sun  is  very  hot  there  at  midday.  Perhaps  you 
will  be  interested  to  see  a Filipino  market  place.” 

“ Certainly,”  said  Miss  Dennison ; “ we  shall  be 
delighted  to  have  the  privilege  of  accompanying 
you.” 

As  they  neared  the  market  place  they  passed  num- 
bers of  women  coming  in  from  the  country  to  the 
market,  carrying  their  little  stocks  of  wares  in  bas- 
kets balanced  upon  their  heads,  walking  erect  and 
rapidly  without  touching  their  burdens  with  their 
hands.  Some  were  smoking  huge  black  cigars  and 
others  cigarettes,  while  those  who  were  not  smoking 
chewed  the  betel  nut,  which  stained  the  lips  and 
mouth  a deep  red.  Their  clothing  was  in  many  cases 
white  and  had  the  appearance  of  having  been  just 
donned,  fresh  from  the  laundry. 

“ Many  of  these  people,”  explained  Mrs.  Baker, 
“ come  from  a long  distance  in  the  country,  and  have 
to  wade  through  deep  streams  to  get  here ; but  if  so 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


141 


they  bring  with  them  a change  of  clothing  which  they 
don  before  reaching  the  town  and  appear  in  the  mar- 
ket as  carefully  dressed  as  though  they  had  just  left 
their  homes.” 

Arriving  at  the  plaza,  they  found  the  market  place 
crowded  with  merchants  and  buyers.  The  dealers 
had  arranged  themselves  in  rows,  sitting  crosslegged 
upon  the  ground  or  squatting  upon  their  heels,  their 
little  stock  of  marketing  spread  upon  the  ground  be- 
fore them.  Some  of  the  more  enterprising  ones  had 
a neat  mat  upon  which  the  marketing  was  displayed, 
and  a little  case  of  drawers  in  which  the  dealer 
kept  his  stock  of  coins  used  in  the  transactions. 
The  fruits  and  other  delicacies  were  in  some  cases 
displayed  on  sections  of  banana  leaf,  cut  in  squares, 
while  others  of  the  merchants  had  twisted  the  leaves 
into  ingeniously  shaped  baskets.  Each  dealer  was 
supplied  with  a light — in  some  cases  a quantity  of 
hard  pitch  wrapped  in  dried  palm  leaves,  and  in 
others  a discarded  beer  bottle  filled  with  American 
kerosene  oil,  with  a rag  for  a wick.  Sweet  potatoes, 
or  camotes,  as  they  are  called,  were  much  in  evidence, 
as  were  also  bananas,  for  these  two  articles  form  a 
large  part  of  the  food  of  the  masses,  while  the  mer- 
chants of  the  town  sold  rice,  sugar,  and  coffee  from 
the  stalls  which  surrounded  the  plaza,  ostentatiously 
scooping  the  rice  into  the  baskets  or  other  receptacles 


142 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


of  their  customers,  monotonously  counting  the  meas- 
ures, clanking  the  coins  carefully  upon  some  hard 
object  to  assure  themselves  of  their  genuineness. 

“ Everybody  tests  every  coin  offered  him  in  this 
part  of  the  world,”  said  Mrs.  Baker,  noticing  with 
an  amused  smile  the  expression  of  surprise  on  the 
faces  of  the  young  ladies  as  they  saw  each  coin  care- 
fully tested  in  this  manner.  “ Counterfeiting  is  so 
easy  in  these  countries  where  only  silver  and  copper 
coins  are  used  that  nobody  thinks  it  at  all  impolite 
to  test  the  genuineness  of  every  coin  offered  him.” 

As  they  passed  on  through  the  market  the  young 
ladies  were  surprised  to  find  many  products  with 
which  they  were  familiar.  “ I had  not  expected  to 
find  in  this  tropical  country,  so  near  the  equator,  so 
many  of  the  vegetables  and  fruits  and  grains  which 
we  have  in  the  temperate  zone,”  said  Miss  Dennison. 
“ I see  plenty  of  corn  here,  which  looks  as  though 
it  was  of  good  variety  and  does  well  in  this  climate. 
I wonder  that  the  people  do  not  grow  it  here  as  we 
do  at  home,  especially  as  material  for  bread  seems 
to  be  scarce  in  this  part  of  the  world.” 

“ Bread  is  very  little  used  among  the  natives  here,” 
replied  Mrs.  Baker.  “ They  prefer  rice,  and  it  takes 
the  place  with  them  which  both  bread  and  potatoes 
take  with  us,  though  they  do  grow  some  Irish  pota- 
toes and  great  quantities  of  sweet  potatoes.  Then, 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


143 


you  know,  nature  furnishes  them  a natural  bread  in 
the  form  of  the  breadfruit.” 

“ Breadfruit,”  said  Miss  Dennison.  “ Yes,  I have 
read  of  it,  but  never  expected  to  see  it.” 

“ Well,  you  can  readily  see  it  here,”  replied  Mrs. 
Baker,  pointing  to  a heap  of  objects  which  the  young 
ladies  had  at  first  thought  were  small  melons.  “ This 
is  the  breadfruit,  which  grows  on  trees ; when  roasted 
or  baked  it  supplies  a white  substance  which  is  very 
similar  to  bread  in  appearance  and  taste.  Then  there 
is  another  article,”  she  said  as  she  pointed  to  a white 
substance  having  much  the  appearance  of  flour, 
“ which  serves  a purpose  quite  similar  to  bread  or  the 
flour  from  which  it  is  made.  This  is  the  product  of 
the  sago  palm.  The  sago  palm  tree  when  cut  down 
and  split  open  supplies  a large  quantity  of  white, 
juicy  material,  and  the  evaporation  of  the  liquid 
portion  leaves  as  a residue  the  sago  flour,  which  is 
excellent  as  food.” 

As  they  passed  on  they  found  many  other  familiar 
articles,  such  as  cabbages,  tomatoes,  onions,  bananas, 
oranges,  and  lemons;  while  other  fruits  which  were 
new  to  them  were  mangoes,  rich,  luscious,  and  tempt- 
ing; mangosteens,  a small  hut  delicate  fruit  covered 
with  a thick  green  rind;  pineapples  and  cocoanuts. 
The  plentiful  supply  of  eggs,  chickens,  and  pigs  again 
suggested  that  in  these  particulars  the  habits  of  the 


144 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


people  of  the  islands  were  quite  similar  to  those  of 
the  temperate  zone. 

“ Here  are  some  articles,”  said  Mrs.  Baker, 
“ which  you  do  not  see  in  the  markets  at  home  ” ; 
and  she  pointed  to  stacks  of  thick,  green  leaves  cut 
into  small  pieces,  and  near  them  little  boxes  of  a 
white  material  which  appeared  to  he  pulverized  lime. 
“ This,”  she  continued,  “ is  what  the  natives  call 
buyo.  It  is  the  leaf  which  is  used  with  the  betel 
nut  for  chewing,  in  about  the  same  manner  that  to- 
bacco is  used  in  certain  other  parts  of  the  world, 
except  that  practically  all  the  people  of  both  sexes 
use  it.  The  betel  nut  is  the  product  of  the  areca 
palm;  it  is  about  the  size  of  an  egg,  and  is  used  for 
chewing  by  nearly  everybody  among  the  natives,  not 
only  here,  hut  all  through  the  Orient.  Indeed,  I have 
read  a statement  that  one  tenth  of  the  human  family 
chew  the  betel  nut.  The  natives  say  that  it  gives 
them  strength  for  hard  work  and  helps  digestion.  A 
small  quantity  of  the  nut  is  wrapped  in  these  leaves 
of  the  betel  pepper  shrub,  with  a small  quantity  of 
quicklime,  and  chewed  in  this  combination.  It  is 
hot  and  peppery  in  taste,  stains  the  mouth  red  and 
the  teeth  black,  and  it  is  said  destroys  the  teeth  in 
a little  time.  The  rapid  decay  of  the  teeth,  however, 
is  probably  due  quite  as  much  to  the  fact  that  many 
of  the  natives  file  them  into  fantastic  shapes,  some 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


145 


of  them  to  a sharp  point,  others  filing  the  front  with 
a round  file  so  that  each  tooth  seems  to  curve  out- 
ward.” 

The  hell  in  the  church  tower  near  by  suddenly 
rang  out  the  hour  of  eight,  the  chatter  of  buyers  and 
sellers  ceased,  each  of  the  natives  rising  to  his  feet, 
the  men  doffing  their  hats,  and  facing  the  church 
each  stood  silently  repeating  a prayer.  Then  the 
hum  of  the  market  place  began  again,  and  soon  the 
chatter  and  laughter  of  the  marketers,  the  monoto- 
nous count  of  the  merchants  as  they  told  off  their 
measures  of  rice  or  counted  their  camotes , went  on  as 
before. 

The  next  morning  they  were  off  for  a drive  in  the 
country,  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Baker,  taking 
an  early  start  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air  and  enable  their 
return  before  the  heat  of  midday.  The  road  ran 
through  a tropical  forest,  but  the  young  ladies  were 
surprised  to  find  groups  of  neatly  thatched  nipa 
houses  at  short  intervals,  many  of  them  suri’ounded 
by  well-cultivated  fields  of  rice  and  sweet  potatoes. 
The  impudent  crows  cawed  vigorously  at  them  as  they 
drove  by,  the  parrots  screamed  from  their  perches  in 
the  trees,  and  the  monkeys  chattered  and  scolded, 
scrambling  up  the  trees  or  clinging  to  the  vines  which 
swung  from  them.  As  they  drove  along  through  the 
forest  of  palms  they  noted  that  many  of  them  had 


146 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


notches  cut  in  the  sides,  and  soon  they  saw  a native 
walking  among  the  trees  carrying  a large  section  of 
bamboo  shaped  like  a tall  bucket  or  churn,  looking 
upward  as  if  searching  for  some  object.  Suddenly 
he  paused  before  a tree  as  if  preparing  for  an  ascent, 
carefully  crossing  himself  before  doing  so,  as  if  he 
thought  the  task  a perilous  one. 

“ What  is  he  going  to  do  ? ” inquired  Miss  Saxton, 
as  she  noted  his  movements  with  some  curiosity. 

“ Oh,  that  is  a tuba  man,”  said  Lieutenant  Baker. 
“ Tuba,”  he  continued,  “ is  the  name  of  the  drink 
which  is  made  from  the  juice  of  the  cocoanut  palm 
tree.  It  is  extracted  from  the  tree  at  the  point  where 
a blossom  is  about  to  make  its  appearance.  The  juice 
when  fresh  has  a taste  somewhat  like  fresh  cider 
and  is  quite  palatable  and  harmless,  but  in  a few 
hours  it  turns  to  a sharp  acid,  and  then  gradually 
becomes  an  intoxicating  liquor.  This  man  is  a pro- 
fessional tuba  hunter.  He  probably  has  a contract 
with  the  owner  of  these  trees,  by  which  he  gathers 
the  tuba  and  gives  the  owner  one  half  of  the  liquor 
thus  gathered.” 

The  cocoanut  palm  grows  from  sixty  to  ninety  feet 
in  height,  perfectly  straight  and  without  a branch, 
the  top  being  surmounted  by  a crown  of  from  sixteen 
to  twenty  huge  leaves,  each  leaf  being  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen feet  in  length.  They  watched  the  active  little 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


147 


man  as  he  carefully  brushed  the  dirt  from  his  bare 
feet,  so  that  he  should  have  perfect  use  of  his  toes  in 
climbing  and  in  clinging  to  the  little  notches  which 
had  been  cut  in  the  side  of  the  tall  palm  which  tow- 
ered far  above  him.  Then  adjusting  the  churn-shaped 
receptacle  which  he  carried  upon  his  back,  he  began 
to  climb  like  a monkey,  holding  on  by  his  long  arms 
and  ascending  step  by  step  with  amazing  rapidity. 
As  he  reached  the  first  huge  leaf  he  seated  himself 
upon  its  stem,  and  taking  from  the  flowering  branch 
a section  of  bamboo  which  he  had  put  there  to  col- 
lect the  sap  emptied  the  contents  into  the  long  churn- 
shaped  bucket  which  he  carried,  returning  the  tube 
to  its  place  to  resume  its  duty  of  collecting  the  sap 
as  it  trickled  down  the  stem,  in  which  he  made  a 
fresh  incision. 

“ These  little  sections  of  bamboo  which  you  see 
hanging  to  the  trees  away  up  there,”  said  the  lieu- 
tenant, “ have  been  placed  there  by  this  man  to  col- 
lect the  sap  as  it  oozes  out  of  the  blossoming  branch 
.which  he  has  notched  for  this  purpose.  The  flow 
from  each  branch  continues  for  six  or  eight  weeks, 
and  so  the  tuba  man  becomes  quite  well  acquainted 
with  each  tree  before  the  season  is  over.” 

Pulling  himself  from  perch  to  perch,  like  a mon- 
key, the  tuba  man  moved  about  the  top  of  the  great 
tree,  now  resting  on  the  stem  of  one  large  leaf,  and 


148 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


now  on  another.  Suddenly  he  swung  himself  from 
his  perch  to  a long  bamboo  pole  which  extended 
from  the  top  of  the  tree  to  another  a few  feet  dis- 
tant, and  balanced  himself  upon  it  like  a trapeze 
performer. 

“ Now  he  is  going  to  make  the  passage  from  that 
tree  to  the  next  one,”  said  the  lieutenant.  “ It  is 
too  much  trouble  for  him  to  climb  down  one  tree 
and  up  another,  and  so  he  fastens  these  bamboo  poles 
from  one  tree  to  another,  lashing  them  firmly  in  their 
places  with  bejuco,  which  is  the  native  word  for  rat- 
tan, and  makes  his  way  from  tree  to  tree  over  this 
aerial  pathway.” 

As  he  said  this  the  tuba  man  made  a quick  run 
along  the  bamboo  pole,  steadying  himself  by  another 
and  smaller  pole  which  had  been  fixed  in  such  posi- 
tion that  he  could  use  it  as  a sort  of  hand  rail,  and 
landed  safely  in  the  top  of  the  next  palm  tree,  where 
he  resumed  his  work,  passing  thence  to  the  next  tree 
and  so  on  as  long  as  they  watched  his  operations. 

As  they  passed  on  they  saw  large  heaps  of  cocoa- 
nuts  lying  near  the  roadside  and  groups  of  natives 
engaged  in  chopping  them  open,  extracting  the  meat, 
chopping  it  into  small  pieces,  and  spreading  it  in 
the  sun  upon  bamboo  frames  beneath  which  gentle 
fires  were  kept  burning. 

“ These  people,”  said  the  lieutenant,  “ are  making 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


149 


what  is  known  as  copra.  The  cocoanut,  you  know,  is 
a very  useful  product  in  these  islands.  A single  tree 
produces  from  eighty  to  two  hundred  nuts  in  a year, 
the  supply  of  ripened  nuts  being  continuous.  On 
some  of  these  trees  you  may  see  flowers,  young  nuts, 
and  nuts  ready  for  gathering,  all  at  the  same  time. 
The  people  eat  the  nut  as  it  comes  from  the  tree, 
both  ripe  and  unripe,  and  the  fluid  which  it  contains 
is  an  important  article  of  food  with  them,  and  a most 
refreshing  drink  on  a hot  day.  It  is  a watery  sub- 
stance in  the  earlier  stage  of  the  development  of  the 
nut,  and  only  turns  into  the  milky  state  when  the 
nut  is  completely  ripe.” 

As  he  said  this  he  called  to  a young  Filipino  who 
was  passing,  saying  a few  words  to  him  in  a language 
which  the  ladies  did  not  understand,  and  in  a mo- 
ment the  lad  returned  laden  with  cocoanuts  which 
he  deftly  opened  with  his  bolo,  giving  to  each  a 
draught  of  their  contents,  which  fully  sustained  the 
assertion  of  the  lieutenant  as  to  its  refreshing  and 
strengthening  character,  bowing  and  smiling  his 
thanks  as  he  deftly  caught  the  small  coin  which  the 
lieutenant  tossed  him. 

“ The  kernel  of  the  cocoanut,”  continued  the  lieu- 
tenant, “ contains  about  seventy-five  per  cent  of  fixed 
oil,  which  is  very  useful  for  food  so  long  as  it  remains 
fresh.  It  is  extracted  by  boiling  the  kernel  or  meat 


150 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


of  the  nuts  in  water  and  skimming  off  the  oil,  and  by 
pressing  the  oil  out  of  the  nut  after  boiling.  But 
the  methods  of  doing  this  are  very  imperfect  here, 
for  there  is  not  the  proper  machinery  for  extracting 
the  oil  or  utilizing  it.  So  man  has  learned  to  have 
the  meat  of  the  cocoanut  dried,  and  it  is  then  trans- 
ported to  places  where  machinery  is  available  for 
extracting  the  oil.  That  is  what  these  people  are 
doing.  They  chop  or  break  up  the  meat  of  the  ripe 
cocoanuts  into  small  pieces  and  dry  it.  It  is  then 
shipped  to  the  United  States  or  to  European  coun- 
tries and  there  turned  into  oil  and  fats,  which  are 
used  for  various  purposes,  especially  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  stearine  candles  and  in  making  soaps. 
When  carefully  prepared  it  can  be  used  for  food  and 
for  a variety  of  other  purposes.  Thousands  of  tons 
of  copra,  as  these  dried  cocoanut  meats  are  called, 
are  exported  from  these  islands  and  others  in  this 
part  of  the  world  each  year,  and  the  man  who  has  a 
cocoanut  grove  of  a few  hundred  or  thousand  trees  is 
assured  of  a comfortable  income  for  life,  for  the  tree 
continues  to  produce  until  it  is  nearly  one  hundred 
years  old,  and  requires  little  care  after  reaching 
maturity.” 

They  drove  on  through  the  beautiful  forest  of 
palms,  the  roadside  being  fringed  with  banana  trees 
from  which  the  fruit  hung  in  great  bunches  in  vari- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


151 


ous  stages  of  development,  some  fully  ripe  and  ready 
for  consumption,  others  just  formed  and  waiting  for 
the  sun  and  fruitful  soil  to  complete  their  develop- 
ment. As  they  reached  a turn  in  the  road  they  saw 
a large  house  partly  concealed  in  a grove  of  young- 
palms. 

“ This  is  the  residence  of  the  datto  of  the  dis- 
trict,” said  the  lieutenant;  “and  as  I have  some 
business  with  him  we  will  make  a brief  call,  and 
you  may  have  an  opportunity  to  see  something 
of  the  home  life  of  the  more  prosperous  of  these 
people.” 

As  the  carromata  halted  before  the  house  they 
heard  the  sound  of  a gong  within,  evidently  sounded 
for  the  purpose  of  notifying  the  master  that  visitors 
were  approaching.  In  a few  moments  a man  ap- 
peared, clad  in  tightly  fitting  trousers  of  the  Moro 
fashion,  with  rows  of  little  gold  buttons  up  the  out- 
side of  each  leg,  the  feet  bare,  the  shoulders  and 
chest  incased  in  a tightly  fitting  coat,  and  on  his 
head  a yellow  turban.  Soon  the  women  of  the  house- 
hold made  their  appearance,  their  lips  red  with  the 
stain  of  the  betel  nut,  their  teeth  filed  to  a point  and 
black  as  coal,  their  faces  plastered  with  white  powder. 
They  wore  loose,  baggy  trousers  which  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  divided  skirts ; the  upper  portion  of  the 
body  was  incased  in  a tightly  fitting  garment  of  some 


152 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


bright  color;  the  wrists  and  arms  were  decorated 
with  bracelets,  and  there  were  numerous  rings  on  the 
fingers. 

Entering  the  house,  which  stood  upon  high  posts 
or  columns,  the  first  floor  several  feet  above  the 
ground,  they  were  struck  by  the  solidity  of  its  con- 
struction and  the  beauty  of  the  interior.  The  frame- 
work was  of  heavy  logs  of  mahogany  beautifully 
carved,  and  the  floors  were  of  polished  planks  of  rose- 
wood. The  apartment  in  which  they  were  received 
was  very  large,  and  was  decorated  with  Chinese  lan- 
terns and  gongs ; a plentiful  supply  of  spears,  bolos, 
and  krises  was  grouped  not  inartistically,  chairs  and 
benches  were  scattered  about,  and  on  a little  table 
stood  the  polished  brass  case  for  the  betel  nut,  the 
constant  companion  of  the  datto.  At  the  end  of  the 
compartment  were  a number  of  canopies  with  cur- 
tains at  the  side  of  each,  these  being  the  sleeping 
apartments  of  the  various  members  of  the  family. 
From  one  of  the  great  carved  beams  which  formed 
the  framework  of  the  house  hung  a small  American 
flag,  placed  there  as  an  indication  of  the  friendly  atti- 
tude of  the  datto  to  the  new  American  Government. 

The  datto  received  his  visitors  with  apparent  pleas- 
ure, and  gave  orders  to  his  servants  to  bring  coffee 
and  cigars,  the  ladies  accepting  the  coffee,  which  they 
found  very  good,  but  declining  the  proffered  cigars 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


153 


a lid  cigarettes.  The  visit  terminated,  they  turned 
their  faces  homeward. 

Returning  by  a route  different  from  that  which 
they  had  followed  in  the  outward  trip,  they  encoun- 
tered a group  of  native  women  on  their  way  to  the 
village.  Seeing  that  the  young  women  were  quite  in- 
terested, the  lieutenant  halted  and  entered  into  con- 
versation with  them,  thus  giving  the  ladies  an  oppor- 
tunity to  make  a mental  note  of  Mindanao  fashions. 
The  women  were  dressed  in  tightly  fitting  jackets  of 
bright  colors,  a short  red  skirt  reaching  a little  below 
the  knee,  a white  sash  falling  from  the  shoulder 
across  the  breast  and  under  the  arm,  and  so  arranged 
that  it  supplied  a storage  place  for  articles  which 
they  carried  with  them,  including  the  inevitable  cases 
for  the  betel  nut  and  leaf  and  the  little  box  of  lime. 
From  these  boxes  they  extracted  little  rolls  of  the  leaf 
and  nut  from  time  to  time,  placing  them  in  their 
mouths  and  chewing  them  with  evident  satisfaction. 
Some  of  them  wore  heelless  slippers  which  clattered 
upon  the  ground  as  they  walked,  but  most  of  them 
were  without  covering  for  their  feet,  except  the  rings 
of  brass  wire  which  encircled  the  toes  and  ankles, 
while  the  arms  from  the  wrist  to  the  elbow  were  cov- 
ered with  bracelets,  and  around  the  neck  were  neck- 
laces of  beads  and  pendants. 

“ Now,”  said  the  lieutenant,  after  a few  minutes 


154 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


spent  in  studying  Mindanao  fashions,  “ we  must  re- 
turn as  soon  as  possible,  for  our  breakfast  will  be 
awaiting  us,  and  our  guests  are  not  accustomed  to 
such  long  outings,  with  only  a cup  of  coffee  and  a roll 
as  the  early  morning  meal.” 

“ But  you  have  forgotten,”  said  Miss  Dennison, 
“ that  we  had  the  refreshing  drink  from  the  cocoa- 
nuts  and  the  datto’s  excellent  cups  of  coffee.” 

Nevertheless,  the  young  ladies  found  the  break- 
fast of  fresh  juicy  mangoes,  dainty  slices  of  banana 
rolled  in  flour  and  fried  in  the  oil  of  the  cocoa- 
nut,  camotes  roasted  in  banana  leaves,  and  chicken, 
“ Americana  ” style,  quite  welcome.  They  were  thor- 
oughly enjoying  it  when  suddenly  they  felt  a strange 
rocking  sensation ; the  dishes  on  the  table  clashed, 
the  punkas  above  their  heads  swung  violently  to  and 
fro,  and  a strange  creaking  and  groaning  sound  came 
from  the  corners  of  the  house. 

“ An  earthquake ! ” said  Mrs.  Baker,  springing  to 
her  feet  in  alarm ; “ an  earthqiiake  ! Run  for  your 
lives ! ” In  an  instant  they  had  dashed  from  the 
building,  and  were  just  in  time  to  escape  the  falling- 
walls  and  the  crash  of  the  heavy  roof. 


CHAPTER  XI 


Captain  Wilkins’s  escape  from  the  huge  python 
which  flung  itself  upon  him  from  the  tree  under 
which  he  was  sleeping  was  due  solely  to  the  watch- 
fulness and  agility  of  his  Moro  attendant.  That 
servitor,  knowing  the  dangers  which  lurked  in  every 
part  of  the  tropical  forest,  had  been  on  the  alert  from 
the  moment  Captain  Wilkins  threw  himself  into  the 
hammock,  and  discovered  the  huge  creature  just  as 
it  swung  itself  from  the  tree  top  in  which  it  was 
concealed,  and  springing  to  the  rescue  severed  its  head 
from  its  body  with  a single  blow  of  his  keen  kris. 
The  python  is  the  largest  representative  of  the  serpent 
family,  ranging  in  length  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet. 
The  home  of  the  python  is  the  East  Indian  Islands, 
Southern  China,  Indo-China,  India,  Ceylon,  and 
some  parts  of  Africa.  It  differs  somewhat  from  the 
large  serpent  of  the  Americas  known  as  the  boa 
constrictor,  the  python  being  larger  and  having  the 
facility  of  tree  climbing  more  fully  developed.  It 
kills  its  prey,  as  does  the  boa,  by  constriction,  wund- 
11  155 


156 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


ing  its  long  body  around  it  and  crushing  it  to  death. 
It  does  not  often  attack  man,  and  the  unusual  occur- 
rence of  its  attack  upon  Captain  Wilkins  was  ex- 
plained only  when  a group  of  half-naked  natives  of 
the  mountain  type  came  trooping  out  of  the  woods  a 
few  moments  later  clamoring  for  its  skin  and  point- 
ing out  the  fact  that  they  had  slightly  wounded  it 
in  an  encounter  upon  the  hillside  just  before  the 
arrival  of  the  captain  and  his  cavalcade.  In  a few 
moments  they  had  removed  the  skin,  tying  it  in  a 
roll  with  a piece  of  rattan  which  they  had  cut  from 
the  roadside ; then  they  disappeared  into  the  forest, 
leaving  the  captain  to  reflect  with  thankfulness  on 
his  escape. 

An  hour  later  the  cavalcade  was  on  its  way  again, 
and  before  tbe  day  ended  the  military  post  on  Lake 
Lanao  had  been  reached,  and  the  supplies  carried  by 
the  captain  delivered.  The  commanding  officer  at 
the  little  post,  Lieutenant  Brown,  welcomed  the  cap- 
tain as  an  old  acquaintance,  and  insisted  upon  giv- 
ing up  his  own  quarters,  a neat  nipa  house  built 
upon  posts  about  fifteen  feet  above  the  ground,  for 
the  use  of  the  captain  and  Mr.  Teller,  the  young 
American  teacher  who  accompanied  him. 

The  scene  as  they  gathered  about  the  dinner  table 
in  the  long  mpa-covered  building  devoted  to  a mess 
room  for  the  officers  was  an  interesting  one,  and  es- 


UNCLE  SAM'S  CHILDREN 


157 


pecially  so  to  Mr.  Teller,  who  was  unacquainted  with 
the  customs  of  military  life  in  the  tropics.  The 
building  had  been  constructed  as  the  residence  of 
a datto,  who  had  consented  to  part  with  it  for  a cer- 
tain number  of  silver  dollars.  The  frame  was  of 
huge  mahogany  logs,  curiously  carved ; the  floors 
were  of  planks  of  the  same  material,  carefully  pol- 
ished every  morning  by  the  native  servants,  whose 
chief  costume  was  a pair  of  short  trousers  reaching 
to  the  knee  and  a turban  of  some  brilliant  color,  these 
being  supplemented  by  a white  coat  on  occasions  of 
ceremony.  The  sides  of  the  building  were  of  sec- 
tions of  nipa  thatch  set  in  frames  and  so  hinged  at 
the  top  with  stout  sections  of  rattan  that  they  could 
be  swung  outward,  forming  an  awning  above  the 
broad  veranda,  which  extended  on  every  side  of  the 
structure.  The  gabled  roof  of  thick  nipa  thatch  was 
supported  by  rafters  of  bamboo,  from  which  hung  an 
array  of  bolos , hrises,  shields,  and  other  fighting 
paraphernalia  of  the  natives,  intermingled  with  the 
more,  practical  repeating  rifles  and  revolvers  of  the 
officers  and  the  little  force  of  men  composing  the 
command.  Punkas  made  of  white  canvas  attached 
to  bamboo  poles  swung  above  the  table,  operated  by 
a rope  pulled  by  a young  Filipino  lad  clad  only  in 
a flowing  white  camisa. 

The  dinner  which  was  placed  before  them  was 


158 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


thoroughly  enjoyed  by  Captain  Wilkins,  whose  fare 
on  shipboard  was  largely  made  up  of  canned  foods, 
salted  meats,  and  other  stock  supplies. 

“ I thought  you  would  welcome  some  genuine 
country  fare,”  said  Lieutenant  Brown  as  he  piled 
the  captain’s  plate  with  slices  of  fresh  venison,  moun- 
tain goat,  and  wild  hog.  “ Venison  is  very  good  here, 
and  there  is  plenty  of  it,  for  deer  are  more  abundant 
in  Asia  and  the  outlying  islands  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world  ; and  as  for  wild  hogs,  you  find  them 
in  the  forest  almost  everywhere.  These  mountain 
goats  we  find  especially  fine  when  young,  and  even  the 
monkeys,  which  are  plentiful,  are  very  good,  if  you 
can  only  make  yourself  forget  that  it  is  monkey  that 
you  are  eating.  Then,  of  course,  we  have  the  sup- 
plies which  the  natives  bring  in  from  their  homes, 
which  include  nearly  all  of  the  vegetables  to  which 
we  are  accustomed  in  the  temperate  zone — potatoes, 
onions,  beans,  sweet  potatoes,  with  chickens  and  eggs 
in  abundance,  and  many  articles  to  which  we  are 
unaccustomed  at  home.” 

“ And  these  things  are  especially  welcome  to  me 
after  living  on  canned  foods  and  salted  meats,  which 
form  the  chief  food  supply  on  shipboard,”  said  Cap- 
tain Wilkins. 

“ I am  quite  surprised  to  find  here  in  the  tropics 
so  many  of  the  products  of  the  temperate  zone,”  said 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


159 


Mr.  Teller,  whose  inquiring  mind  had  been  following 
with  interest  the  enumeration  of  articles  of  food  sup- 
plied by  nature  and  by  the  industry  of  the  natives. 
“ I am  surprised  also  to  learn  that  the  natives  culti- 
vate these  things  so  freely.  We  have  been  given  to 
understand  in  the  United  States  that  the  natives  ai’e 
lazy  and  make  no  effort  to  supply  themselves  with 
any  of  the  comforts  of  life,  at  least  of  the  sort  that 
we  are  accustomed  to  consider  as  such.” 

“ All  of  which  is  very  much  exaggerated,”  replied 
Lieutenant  Brown.  “ The  natives  are  many  of  them 
industrious,  and  have  their  farms  and  gardens  about 
their  houses,  and  their  supply,  not  only  of  vegetables 
and  rice,  hut  of  pigs  and  chickens ; and  this  extends 
not  only  to  the  better  class,  but  to  those  far  in  the 
interior  of  the  island,  and  to  those  tribes  which  are 
supposed  to  have  the  smallest  development  of  civili- 
zation.” 

“ I suppose,”  continued  Mr.  Teller  in  an  inquir- 
ing tone,  “ that  there  are  many  other  articles  of 
exclusively  tropical  production  of  which  we  have 
none  in  our  own  country.” 

“ Yes,”  replied  the  lieutenant,  “ there  is  scarcely 
anything  of  tropical  or  subtropical  nature  which  is 
not  to  he  found  here : cinnamon,  spices,  pepper  and 
coffee  of  good  quality.  There  are  india-rubber  trees 
from  which  considerable  supplies  of  rubber  are  ob- 


160 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


tained  by  the  natives  and  sold  to  the  Chinese  traders, 
who  send  it  to  Singapore,  whence  it  is  shipped  to 
Europe  or  the  United  States.  These  islands  ought 
to  he  able  to  supply  our  country  with  a good  share 
of  the  $50,000,000  worth  of  india  rubber  which  we 
import  from  Brazil  and  other  foreign  countries. 
Then  as  for  tropical  fruits,  for  which  we  spend  $25,- 
000,000  or  so  a year  at  home,  these  islands  could 
produce  every  dollar’s  worth  of  them.  As  for  the 
$75,000,000  worth  of  coffee,  the  $20,000,000  worth 
of  tea,  and  the  $10,000,000  worth  of  cacao  which  the 
United  States  imports  annually,  these  islands  should 
be  able  to  supply  a large  part  of  them ; for  the  coffee 
grown  here  is  of  excellent  quality,  and  the  tea  experts 
of  Japan,  China,  and  India  say  that  the  Philippines 
can  produce  as  good  tea  as  that  which  is  now  being 
supplied  from  Ceylon  and  India,  and  cacao  also  is 
plentiful  and  good.” 

Dinner  over,  the  guests  seated  themselves  on  the 
veranda,  enjoying  the  excellent  cigars  of  native  to- 
bacco, made  by  natives,  which  they  all  agreed  com- 
pared favorably  with  those  from  Cuba ; while  the 
moving  punkas  over  their  heads  kept  the  mosqui- 
toes at  a respectful  distance.  Numbers  of  little 
green  lizards  ran  chirping  about  the  rafters  or  basked 
in  the  light  of  the  lamps  which  hung  from  the  ceil- 
ing; for  these  lizards,  which  are  found  everywhere 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


161 


in  the  tropics,  invade  every  household,  and  being 
quite  harmless  are  welcomed  because  of  the  constant 
warfare  which  they  wage  upon  mosquitoes,  flies,  and 
other  pests  of  this  character.  Huge  bats  darted  in 
and  out  of  the  building,  attracted  by  the  light  and 
finding  a plentiful  food  supply  in  the  throng  of 
tropical  insects  which  had  gathered  about  it. 

“ And  now,”  said  Lieutenant  Brown,  “ I have  a 
suggestion  to  make.  I have  here  just  at  this  time  a 
couple  of  natives  who  are  thoroughly  familiar  with 
the  interior  of  the  island,  and  who  speak  the  lan- 
guages of  several  of  the  tribes  of  the  interior ; and  I 
should  he  glad  if  you  would  stay  over  for  a few  days 
and  visit  some  of  these  strange  people  and  see  some 
of  the  wonderful  and  interesting  sights  of  the  island. 
There  are,  you  know,  a large  number  of  different 
tribes  and  people  here,  perhaps  a greater  variety 
than  on  any  other  of  the  islands.  Lying  as  it  does 
near  to  that  chain  of  islands  which  stretches  south- 
ward to  Australia  and  being  not  very  far  from  the 
mainland,  it  has  received  visitors  from  many  direc- 
tions and  of  many  types.  There  are  the  Moros,  of 
whom  you  have  seen  many ; and  I must  say  that 
those  of  them  who  live  on  land  are  a better  class  of 
people  than  we  have  been  led  to  believe  from  the 
reports  supplied  by  the  Spanish,  who  were  preju- 
diced against  them  because  they  refused  to  accept  the 


162 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


Christian  religion.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  the 
Spanish,  it  must  be  admitted  that  they  were  earnest 
and  persistent  proselytizers,  urging  their  religion 
upon  the  people  of  the  islands  wherever  they  went; 
and  however  we  may  criticise  their  methods,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  they  succeeded  in  introducing  into 
the  Philippine  Islands  as  a whole  more  of  the  customs 
which  we  know  as  European  and  American  civiliza- 
tion than  most  other  colonizing  nations  have  done  in 
their  various  colonies.  By  this  I mean  the  customs 
of  daily  life:  dress,  household  life,  attendance  upon 
the  ordinances  of  the  church,  and  the  organization 
of  local  governments.  The  one  group  of  people  who 
resisted  their  attempts  to  introduce  the  Christian 
religion  were  the  Mohammedans,  or  Moros,  as  they 
are  called,  who  have  largely  controlled  this  island 
and  the  little  islands  of  Sulu  and  Tawi  Tawi.  As 
a result,  this  island  has  been  less  civilized  than  any 
other,  and  the  various  classes  of  people  which  it  has 
absorbed  from  other  islands  and  lands  have  main- 
tained more  of  their  original  characteristics  than  in 
the  islands  farther  north.” 

“ It  is  some  of  these  native  tribes  that  you  pro- 
pose to  show  us  ? ” asked  Captain  Wilkins  with 
awakened  interest. 

“ Yes,”  replied  Lieutenant  Brown.  “ There  are 
various  groups  of  people,  some  of  them  supposed  to 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


163 


be  of  the  same  stock  as  the  Papuans,  who  inhabit  the 
island  of  New  Guinea,  which,  you  know,  lies  a con- 
siderable distance  southeast  of  this  island.  Then 
there  are  people  from  the  island  of  Celebes,  one  of 
the  group  of  islands  which  the  Dutch  have  controlled 
for  hundreds  of  years ; some  from  the  Malayan  Pen- 
insula ; and  in  the  mountains  are  the  Negritos,  a race 
of  small  black  people  with  woolly  hair,  broad  flat 
noses,  and  large  feet  with  toes  developed  almost 
like  the  fingers  of  the  hand.  These  Negritos  are  sup- 
posed to  be  descended  from  the  original  people  of  the 
islands,  and  have  fallen  hack  into  the  interior  as  the 
Malays  and  Chinese  and  Spanish  have  pressed  upon 
them.” 

The  next  morning  they  were  off  at  daylight  for 
a single  day  among  the  people  of  the  forest,  Captain 
Wilkins  having  sent  one  of  his  people  back  to  in- 
form Lieutenant  Baker  and  the  young  ladies  that  he 
would  extend  his  absence  one  day.  “ It  will  do  them 
good,”  he  said  to  himself,  “ to  have  another  day  on 
land  after  their  long  voyage  and  their  experiences 
in  the  storm.” 

Their  route  lay  through  an  unbroken  forest  of 
tropical  growth,  often  such  a dense  mass  of  trees 
and  vines  that  the  guides  were  obliged  to  cut  their 
way  through  it  with  the  heavy  bolos  which  they  car- 
ried. They  followed  water  courses  wherever  possible, 


Ib4 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


and  when  they  came  to  water  of  sufficient  depth  the 
native  attendants  quickly  improvised  rafts  of  bam- 
boo, which,  being  hollow  and  water  tight,  has  power 
of  sustaining  great  weight  in  the  water. 

Finally  they  came  to  evidences  of  human  life. 
There  were  patches  of  land  on  the  hillsides  with 
growing  corn  and  rice  of  the  upland  variety,  sweet 
potatoes,  sugar  cane,  bananas,  and  mangoes.  Pigs 
and  chickens  were  roaming  among  the  trees,  and  dogs 
barked  furiously. 

“ Strange,”  said  Mr.  Teller.  “ Here  is  a culti- 
vated field,  with  pigs  and  chickens  and  dogs,  but  no 
sign  of  habitation.  Where  do  the  people  live,  I 
wonder  ? ” 

For  answer  the  guides  pointed  to  the  tops  of  the 
trees,  and  looking  in  the  direction  indicated  they 
could  see  what  looked  like  the  nest  of  some  huge  bird 
far  up  in  the  top  of  a tree  whose  leaves  and  small 
branches  seemed  to  have  been  cut  to  give  oppor- 
tunity for  the  construction  of  the  house.  It  was 
made  of  bamboo  frames,  extending  from  branch  to 
branch  of  the  tree,  the  frames  lashed  together  with 
rattan,  which  grows  plentifully  in  all  parts  of  the 
island  and  is  used  for  all  purposes  of  this  sort,  so 
much  so  that  many  houses  are  built  without  the  use 
of  a single  nail.  This  house  was  tightly  lashed  to 
the  branches,  and  the  sides  and  roof  were  made  of 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


165 


cogon  grass,  carefully  thatched.  The  floor  of  the 
house,  which  was  probably  fifty  feet  from  the  ground, 
was  made  of  split  bamboo  laid  so  closely  that  an 
arrow  or  a spear  could  not  be  sent  through  it  from 
below. 

“ The  purpose  of  building  the  houses  in  the  trees,” 
explained  Lieutenant  Brown,  “ is  to  give  the  occu- 
pants greater  safety  from  their  enemies.  They  have 
long  ladders  made  of  poles  with  which  they  make 
the  ascent  or  descent,  and  when  they  want  to  pro- 
tect themselves  from  an  enemy  they  pull  them 
up,  as  they  doubtless  did  when  they  saw  us  ap- 
proaching.” 

“ Do  you  think,  then,  that  there  are  people  living 
in  this  house  now  ? ” asked  Mr.  Teller  incredulously. 

“ Doubtless,”  said  the  lieutenant,  “ and  I think  we 
can  prove  it.”  He  spoke  a few  words  to  his  guide, 
who  gave  a peculiar  whistle,  and  in  a moment  a 
black  woolly  head  was  thrust  over  the  little  platform 
which  surrounded  the  house.  The  face  which  peered 
down  upon  them  had  a dark  skin  with  a reddish  tint, 
a broad  flat  nose,  arching  eyebrows,  thick  lips  red 
with  the  betel-nut  stain,  between  which  they  could  see 
teeth  filed  to  a sharp  point  and  black  as  coal.  Then 
another  head  appeared,  and  several  smaller  ones,  evi- 
dently those  of  the  children. 

The  guide  shouted  in  a language  which  none  of 


166 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


the  party  could  understand,  gesticulating  and  point- 
ing to  the  visitors;  but  no  amount  of  persuasion 
could  induce  the  occupants  of  the  house  to  descend 
or  to  drop  their  ladders  and  permit  their  visitors  to 
ascend. 

Passing  on  over  the  hill  and  across  the  valley 
from  whose  steep  side  a group  of  monkeys  screamed 
and  scolded,  the  guides  suddenly  halted  and  made  a 
signal  for  silence.  Then  asking  the  lieutenant  and 
his  party  to  remain  where  they  were  temporarily, 
they  crept  on  through  the  jungle  and  were  absent 
nearly  a half  hour.  The  members  of  the  party  were 
beginning  to  grow  uneasy,  especially  Mr.  Teller,  who 
feared  that  they  were  being  left  to  the  mercy  of  these 
most  uncivilized  of  all  the  people  of  the  Philippine 
Islands.  But  lie  was  quite  relieved  when  the  guides 
returned  smiling  and,  pointing  to  a distant  hillside, 
led  the  way  through  a circuitous  ravine,  where  their 
approach  would  not  be  noted. 

Bounding  the  hillside,  they  crept  carefully  through 
the  hushes,  and  suddenly  halting,  the  guides  pointed 
to  an  open  space  a few  yards  below  them.  There 
they  saw  a group  of  ISTegritos,  evidently  engaged 
in  celebrating  a wedding  feast.  A pig  had  been 
killed  and  was  being  roasted  before  the  fire.  There 
were  great  heaps  of  camotes,  or  sweet  potatoes,  and 
quantities  of  rice  cooking  in  earthen  pots  over  small 


BANANA  PLANTATION. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


167 


fires  built  in  holes  in  the  ground.  The  men  wore 
only  a broad  piece  of  cloth  around  the  waist  drawn 
between  the  legs,  making  a garment  somewhat  sim- 
ilar to  short  bathing  trunks.  They  were  barefooted, 
and  their  toes  were  long  and  fingerlike  in  their  uses ; 
and  it  was  observed  that  when  they  desired  to  pick 
up  articles  from  the  ground  they  did  so  with  their 
toes,  passing  them  up  to  their  hands  instead  of  tak- 
ing the  trouble  to  stoop  for  them.  When  they  had 
occasion  to  climb  trees  this  quality  of  their  toes 
proved  extremely  serviceable,  aiding  them  materially 
in  clinging  to  the  trunks  of  the  trees.  The  women 
wore  only  a short  skirt,  extending  from  the  waist  to 
the  knee,  but  their  legs  and  ankles  were  ornamented 
with  bands  of  brass  wire  and  on  their  fingers  were 
rings,  some  of  them  ornamented  with  settings  of 
colored  glass,  having  evidently  been  bought  fi’om  the 
coast  traders  in  exchange  for  their  agricultural  prod- 
ucts or  the  products  of  the  chase.  Their  skins  were 
of  a dark  reddish  color,  their  faces  broad,  with  high 
cheek  bones  and  flat  noses.  The  ears  of  the  women 
had  been  pierced  and  the  holes  enlarged  by  the  in- 
sertion of  rolls  of  nipa  leaf,  until  the  openings  thus 
produced  were  larger  than  a silver  ten-cent  piece  of 
American  money.  The  spears  and  bows  and  arms 
and  shields  had  been  laid  aside  by  the  men,  and 
those  not  engaged  in  preparing  the  dinner  were 


168 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


•lancing,  shouting,  leaping,  and  enjoying  themselves, 
quite  unconscious  of  the  presence  of  strangers. 

After  a half  hour  spent  in  observing  their  char- 
acteristics, the  guides  motioned  for  a silent  with- 
drawal, since  it  was  deemed  prudent  not  to  inter- 
nipt  them,  especially  as  the  native  liquor,  tuba,  had 
been  passed  frequently  from  lip  to  lip,  and  the  ex- 
citement had  grown  noticeably  greater  after  each 
round  of  the  vessel  which  contained  it. 

There  was  another  long  walk  through  the  forest, 
followed  by  the  hasty  construction  of  a raft  of 
bamboo  on  which  they  floated  down  a little  river. 
As  they  were  leaving  this  a sudden  tropical  shower 
came  up,  and  as  it  gave  promise  of  lasting  a consid- 
erable time,  the  natives  quickly  improvised  raincoats 
from  nipa  leaves,  which  they  threw  around  the  shoul- 
ders of  the  members  of  the  party,  giving  each  one  the 
appearance  of  being  thatched,  but  protecting  them 
admirably  from  the  rain.  This  custom  of  making 
raincoats  of  leaves  or  grass  prevails  in  all  parts  of 
the  Orient,  and  on  rainy  days  you  see  the  natives 
going  about  with  these  curious  bits  of  thatched  work 
over  their  shoulders,  and  not  infrequently  they  pro- 
tect their  ponies  or  oxen  in  the  same  way. 

“We  shall  now  make  a visit  to  a party  of  people 
representing  what  is  called  ‘ the  great  white  tribe  of 
the  Philippine  Islands,’  ” said  Lieutenant  Baker,  as 


UNCLE  SAMS  CHILDREN 


169 


they  left  the  raft  and  turned  again  into  the  forest. 
“ These  people  are  usually  known  as  Mandayas,  or 
Mansakas,  and  are  much  whiter  than  the  ordinary 
Filipino,  many  of  them,  indeed,  whiter  than  Span- 
iards. They  do  not  seem  to  belong  to  a white  race, 
nor  are  they  the  descendants  of  Europeans  or  other 
white  people  in  the  ordinary  use  of  the  term ; but 
they  seem  to  have  attained  this  peculiar  color,  a sort 
of  waxy  white,  by  living  in  the  shade  of  the  forest, 
existing  on  a vegetable  diet  with  much  sweet  food, 
and  by  constant  immersion  in  water  in  traveling 
about  by  the  water  ways,  their  only  convenient  routes 
of  travel.” 

As  he  said  this,  his  guides  again  gave  the  signal 
for  silence,  and  suddenly  they  came  upon  an  opening 
in  the  forest  with  little  gardens  of  vegetables,  rice, 
and  corn,  and  at  the  side  were  several  houses  in  the 
tree  tops,  with  long  ladders  reaching  from  the  ground 
to  the  platforms  which  surrounded  them.  Motion- 
ing to  the  members  of  the  party  to  follow  them,  the 
guides  climbed  quietly  up  the  ladders,  reaching  down- 
ward to  assist  the  other  members  of  the  party  in  their 
ascent ; and  the  entire  party  had  landed  on  the  little 
platform  surrounding  the  house  before  the  occupants 
were  aware  of  their  presence.  There  were  screams 
from  the  women,  the  men  rushing  to  the  doors  spear 
in  hand ; when  the  assurances  of  the  guides,  who 


170 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


spoke  their  language,  had  quieted  their  fears,  the 
doors  were  opened  and  the  visitors  invited  to  enter. 
Both  men  and  women  were  of  very  light  color,  the 
skin  being  of  a waxy  appearance,  with  not  a particle 
of  color  in  the  cheeks.  The  lips  were  so  stained  with 
the  betel  nut  that  their  real  color  could  not  be  deter- 
mined. The  straight  black  hair  was  drawn  into 
knots  at  the  side  of  the  head  and  the  ends  looped 
backward  in  curious  fashion,  this  custom  being  fol- 
lowed by  both  men  and  women.  The  men  wore  short 
trousers,  with  no  covering  for  the  upper  part  of  the 
body,  the  women  a short  skirt  and  a jacket  of  some 
bright  color,  their  necks  ornamented  with  strings  of 
beads.  Both  sexes  wore  oblong  hats  made  of  bark 
and  carefully  tied  in  position.  The  houses  were  built 
in  manner  quite  similar  to  the  tree  houses  already 
described,  the  framework  of  bamboo,  the  sides  of 
mats  made  of  reeds  and  rattan,  and  the  roofs  of  nipa 
or  cogon.  The  rooms,  which  were  about  ten  feet 
square,  were  ornamented  with  spears,  shields,  bows 
and  arrows,  and  other  articles  of  this  character. 
Bamboo  poles  laid  side  by  side  formed  a frail  pas- 
sageway from  this  house  to  another  built  in  an  ad- 
joining tree,  and  a passage  over  this  revealed  an- 
other and  still  another  leading  from  house  to  house 
at  a distance  of  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  above  the 
ground. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


171 


Suddenly  there  was  a chorus  of  yells  from  the  men 
and  screams  from  the  women.  The  men  seized  their 
spears,  and  the  women  brandished  fierce-looking  bolos, 
and  the  members  of  the  party,  looking  behind  them, 
saw  that  the  ladders  had  been  pulled  up  and  that 
their  means  of  retreat  was  cut  off. 


12 


CHAPTER  XII 

Two  days  later  saw  the  trim  little  vessel  West  Vir- 
ginia steaming  out  of  the  harbor  of  Malabang  with 
Captain  Wilkins  on  the  bridge,  and  on  the  deck  wav- 
ing good-by  to  friends  on  shore  were  Miss  Dennison, 
Miss  Saxton,  Mrs.  Baker,  the  wife  of  Lieutenant 
Baker,  of  Malabang,  and  Mr.  Teller,  the  young 
American  teacher.  The  somewhat  alarming  situa- 
tion in  which  we  left  Captain  Wilkins,  Mr,  Teller, 
and  Lieutenant  Brown  in  the  residence  of  the  tree 
dwellers  had  been  terminated  by  a display  of  sundry 
American  revolvers,  which  resulted  in  the  restora- 
tion of  the  ladders  to  their  appropriate  places ; and 
the  party,  after  leisurely  inspecting  the  tree  dwellers 
and  dwellings  and  assuring  the  former  of  their 
friendly  intentions  by  sundry  gifts  of  beads,  needles, 
and  colored  cotton  cloth,  had  made  good  their  return 
to  Lanao,  whence  the  captain  and  Mr.  Teller  returned 
to  Malabang.  They  found  Lieutenant  Baker’s  bung- 
alow a heap  of  ruins,  but  fortunately  nobody  was 
hurt  and  no  serious  losses  were  sustained,  the  family 

172 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


173 


having  already  settled  in  another  and  even  more  com- 
fortable building  near  by.  Captain  Wilkins’s  first 
act  after  arriving  was  to  invite  Mrs.  Baker  and  her 
daughter  to  make  the  trip  to  Manila  with  him,  and 
as  Mrs.  Baker  desired  to  go  to  Japan  for  a change 
of  climate,  she  gladly  accepted  the  invitation  for 
herself. 

“ You  see,  there  is  a limit  to  the  time  that  one 
can  remain  in  this  continuous  heat,”  she  said  to  the 
Misses  Dennison  and  Saxton ; “ and  we  find  a trip  to 
the  mountains  of  Japan  the  most  convenient  way  of 
getting  a change  of  climate.  The  girls  have  already 
made  the  trip  to  Japan  this  year,  so  they  can  stay 
here ; but  I will  accompany  you  to  Manila  and  take 
a steamer  there  for  Japan.” 

Mr.  Teller,  who  had  expected  to  devote  himself  to 
a study  of  conditions  among  his  prospective  pupils 
on  liis  arrival  at  Malabang,  found  a telegram  direct- 
ing him  to  report  at  Manila  for  duty  on  the  island 
of  Luzon,  and  directing  Captain  Wilkins  to  bring 
him  on  the  West  Virginia. 

So  it  was  a light-hearted  party  of  Americans  who 
steamed  out  of  Manila  on  that  bright  August  morn- 
ing, the  steamer  heading  for  Zamboanga,  where  a 
brief  stop  for  orders  was  made. 

“ It  looks,”  said  Captain  Wilkins,  as  he  read  his 
orders,  which  were  brought  him  by  the  young  officer 


174 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


who  had  escorted  Miss  Dennison  and  Miss  Saxton 
about  Zamboanga,  “ it  looks  as  though  you  were  des- 
tined to  see  considerable  of  the  Philippine  Islands 
before  reaching  Manila.  My  orders  are  to  sail  for 
the  island  of  Cebu,  and  from  that  island  perhaps  to 
others  of  the  Visayan  group.  But  I expect  that  my 
stop  at  each  place  will  be  short,  and  as  we  shall  visit 
some  of  the  largest  cities  and  most  interesting  people 
of  the  Philippine  Islands,  I trust  that  you  will  not 
find  the  trip  a tiresome  one.” 

“ I do  not  think  that  we  shall  find  it  tiresome,” 
said  Mrs.  Baker,  “ for  I have  heard  so  many  interest- 
ing things  about  the  Visayan  people  that  I for  one 
am  quite  anxious  to  see  them  with  my  own  eyes ; and 
as  for  these  young  people  who  are  to  be  teachers,  I 
am  sure  they  cannot  do  better  than  to  see  something 
of  the  various  tribes  and  people  of  the  islands.” 
Then  the  captain  took  the  young  officer  aside,  and 
after  an  earnest  talk  which  lasted  a considerable  time, 
in  which  the  name  of  Wallace  Addison  was  men- 
tioned and  in  which  the  captain  made  elaborate 
memoranda,  the  signal  was  given  for  the  departure 
to  the  island  and  city  of  Cebu. 

If  the  reader  will  again  turn  to  his  map  of  the 
Philippine  Islands,  he  will  see  that  the  great  island 
of  Mindanao,  on  which  occurred  the  incidents  re- 
corded in  the  last  three  chapters,  lies  at  the  southern 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


175 


end  of  the  Philippine  chain,  and  Lnzon  at  the  north- 
ern end.  They  are  the  largest  islands  of  the  group, 
differing  little  in  area,  Luzon  containing  41,000 
square  miles,  being  about  equal  to  the  State  of  Ohio, 
and  Mindanao  36,000  square  miles,  about  the  size  of 
the  State  of  Indiana.  The  remaining  islands  of  the 
group  aggregate  about  40,000  square  miles,  and  thus 
the  islands  of  Lnzon  and  Mindanao  have  actually 
about  two  thirds  of  the  total  area  of  the  Philippine 
group.  Lying  between  Luzon  and  Mindanao  the  stu- 
dent of  the  map  will  see  a body  of  water  called  the 
Visayan  Sea,  and  in  it  a dozen  or  more  islands  of 
sufficient  size  to  be  shown  on  the  map,  the  principal 
ones  being  Cebu,  Negros,  Panay,  Bohol,  Leyte,  and 
Samar.  This  group  is  known  as  the  Visayan  Islands. 
Cebu  is  in  size  about  equal  to  the  State  of  Delaware ; 
Negros  and  Samar  are  each  about  the  size  of  Con- 
necticut, and  Leyte  and  Panay  each  a little  less  than 
Connecticut,  but  larger  than  Delaware. 

“ These  Visayan  Islands,”  said  Captain  Wilkins, 
when  they  had  passed  out  of  Zamboanga  and  were 
safely  upon  the  high  sea  with  no  storm  in  sight, 
“ these  Visayan  Islands  which  we  are  to  visit  are 
the  homes  of  the  Vesayan  people,  who  form  nearly 
one  half  of  the  population  of  the  Philippine  Islands, 
or,  to  be  more  accurate,  about  40  per  cent  of  the 
7,500,000  people  of  the  entire  Philippine  group.” 


176 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ Do  tell  us  about  the  various  people  or  tribes 
of  the  island,”  said  Miss  Dennison.  “ I have  been 
puzzling  my  brain  trying  to  learn  something  about 
them,  and  have  made  such  little  progress  in  it  that  I 
am  quite  discouraged.  I have  read  that  there  are 
fifty  or  sixty  different  tribes  and  languages,  and  if 
so,  it  seems  quite  hopeless  to  understand  much  about 
them.” 

“ Yes,  it  would  he  rather  discouraging  if  it  were 
true,”  replied  the  captain,  taking  a seat  where  he 
could  keep  an  eye  on  the  barometer  as  he  talked,  for 
the  Philippine  archipelago  is  the  home  of  the 
typhoon,  and  the  barometer  is  under  constant  ob- 
servation by  every  careful  navigator  in  these  waters. 
“ The  fact  is,”  he  added,  after  he  had  assured  him- 
self that  the  outlook  was  satisfactory,  “ the  fact 
is  that  the  number  of  tribes  of  any  considerable  im- 
portance is  small,  and  the  languages  not  so  dissim- 
ilar as  has  been  generally  asserted.” 

He  rose  and  took  from  a drawer  a chart  of  the 
Philippine  Islands  and  laid  it  on  the  little  table 
about  which  the  three  prospective  teachers  gathered 
expectantly. 

“ This,  I suppose,  might  be  designated  a normal 
school  for  Philippine  teachers,”  he  said  with  a smile. 
“ Well,  I am  glad  to  be  able  to  show  you  how  simple 
it  is.  The  total  population  of  the  Philippine  Islands 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


177 


is  7,500,000.  Of  that  number  about  7,000,000  are 
designated  by  the  census  as  e Christian,’  or  civilized, 
and  about  500,000  as  ‘ wild  tribes.’  By  this  is  meant 
that  7,000,000  had  come  under  the  control  of  the 
Spaniards  and  accepted  the  doctrines  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion  which  they  taught.  Of  these  7,000,000 
who  had  come  under  Spanish  control  many  have 
adopted  more  or  less  of  the  customs  of  European 
civilization.  They  live  in  fairly  comfortable  houses 
for  this  climate ; they  wear  the  sort  of  clothes  that 
Europeans  or  Americans  wear  in  hot  climates ; they 
have  their  farms  and  raise  crops  sufficient  to  supply 
them  with  food  and  something  to  spare ; they  have 
their  systems  of  local  government,  and  the  recent 
census  shows  that  about  44  per  cent  of  those  above 
ten  years  of  age  are  able  to  read  matter  printed  in 
their  own  or  some  other  language.” 

“ But  it  is  said  that  there  are  so  many  tribes  and 
so  many  languages  that  there  is  no  way  of  communi- 
cating with  them  except  by  learning  all  of  their  lan- 
guages,” said  Mr.  Teller. 

“ I know  that  assertion  has  been  made,”  said  Cap- 
tain Wilkins,  “ but  it  is,  like  many  others,  made  by 
persons  ignorant  of  the  real  facts  or  having  their 
judgment  warped  by  prejudice.  It  is  true  that  there 
are  many  languages  and  dialects  spoken  on  the  is- 
lands and  many  tribes  or  divisions  of  people,  but  the 


178 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


bulk  of  the  Christian  population  consists  of  no  more 
than  about  eight  distinct  groups  or  tribes,  and  the 
languages  of  these  tribes  are  similar  in  many  par- 
ticulars.” 

“ That  looks  more  simple,”  said  Miss  Saxton,  with 
an  air  of  encouragement  as  she  drew  closer  to  the 
table. 

“ The  first  of  these  groups,”  continued  Captain 
Wilkins,  as  he  pointed  again  to  the  map,  “ is  the 
Visayans,  who  mimber,  as  I have  said,  about  3,250,- 
000  or  nearly  one  half  of  the  7,000,000  people  who 
were  under  Spanish  control  and  designated  as  ‘ Chris- 
tian,’ or  civilized  tribes.  They  occupy  the  Yisayan 
Islands,  which  we  are  about  to  visit.  There  are  two 
subdivisions  of  the  Visayan  language,  one  spoken  in 
the  eastern  islands  of  the  group — Samar,  Leyte, 
Bohol,  and  Cebu ; and  the  other  in  the  western  is- 
lands of  the  group — Panay,  Negros,  and  several 
smaller  groups  of  islands  known  as  the  Calamaines, 
the  Cuyos,  Palawan,  and  the  southern  part  of  Min- 
doro. 

“ Group  Ho.  1,  the  Visayans,  3,250,000,  and  occu- 
pying the  Visayan  Islands,”  said  Mr.  Teller,  making 
a memorandum. 

“ The  second  group,”  continued  Captain  Wilkins, 
“ is  the  Tagalogs.  They  occupy  the  central  part  of 
the  island  of  Luzon,  both  north  and  south  of  Manila. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


179 


The  island  of  Luzon,  you  see  by  looking  again  at  the 
map,  is  a very  long  one,  and  Manila,  which  lies  on  the 
west  coast,  is  nearly  as  far  northwest  of  the  southern 
end  as  it  is  south  of  the  northern  end.  The  Tagalogs, 
who  number  about  1,500,000,  are  grouped  around 
Manila  and  occupy  a territory  extending  quite  a dis- 
tance southeast  and  northwest  from  that  city.  The 
Tagalogs  are  perhaps  the  most  intelligent  and  pro- 
gressive of  all  the  tribes  or  groups  of  Filipino  people, 
and  you  will  be  quite  surprised,  I think,  to  find  how 
much  of  civilization  and  intelligence  they  have,  and 
how  thoroughly  they  have  adopted  the  customs  of 
European  civilization. 

“ Group  jSTo.  2,  the  Tagalogs,  1,500,000,  occupy- 
ing the  central  portion  of  Luzon,  in  the  section  sur- 
rounding Manila,”  said  Mr.  Teller. 

“ The  third  group  in  order  of  magnitude,”  said 
Captain  Wilkins,  “ is  the  Ilocanos,  located  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  island  of  Luzon.  If  you  will 
look  at  this  map  of  Luzon  you  will  see  that  the  north- 
ern portion  is  extremely  mountainous.  The  Ilocanos 
occupy  a narrow  strip  of  country  along  the  northwest 
coast  and  a few  of  them  the  interior.  The  mountain- 
ous interior  of  this  part  of  the  island  is  occupied  by 
a wild  tribe  of  which  I will  tell  you  after  we  get 
through  with  the  eight  Christian  or  civilized  tribes. 
The  Ilocanos  number  about  800,000. 


180 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ Group  Mo.  3,  the  Ilocanos,  800,000,  occupying 
the  coast  of  northwest  Luzon,”  said  Mr.  Teller. 

“ The  fourth  group  in  order  of  magnitude,”  con- 
tinued Captain  Wilkins,  “ is  the  Bicols.  They  num- 
ber a little  more  than  a half  million,  and  are  located 
in  the  extreme  south  of  the  island  of  Luzon. 

“ Group  ISTo.  4,  the  Bicols,  about  one  half  million, 
and  occupying  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  is- 
land of  Luzon,”  said  Mr.  Teller,  solemnly  adding 
this  line  to  his  table. 

“ The  fifth  group,”  said  the  Captain,  “ is  the 
Pangasinians.  They  number  about  one  third  of  a 
million  and  are  located  on  the  west  coast  of  Luzon, 
just  south  of  the  Ilocanos,  and  extending  a consider- 
able distance  into  the  interior. 

“ Group  Mo.  5,  the  Pangasinians,  about  one  third 
of  a million,  and  located  on  the  west  coast  of  Luzon,” 
said  Mr.  Teller. 

“ The  sixth  group  is  the  Pampangans,  about  one 
fourth  of  a million  in  number.  They  occupy  a small 
section  of  the  island  of  Luzon  along  both  sides  of  the 
Pampangan  River  and  fronting  on  the  northwest 
shore  of  Manila  Bay,  just  across  the  bay  from  the 
city  of  Manila.  They  are  a pretty  well-advanced 
people  in  intelligence,  ranking  next  to  the  Tagalogs. 
The  Pampangan  River,  on  which  they  are  located, 
is  navigable  for  small  craft,  and  they  are  thus  brought 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


181 


into  touch  with  the  outside  world,  and  as  a result  are 
of  a higher  order  of  intelligence  than  many  others  of 
the  people  of  the  islands.” 

“ Group  ISTo.  6,  the  Pampangans,  number  about 
one  fourth  of  a million,  located  on  the  northwest 
shore  of  Manila  Bay,”  echoed  Mr.  Teller. 

“ The  seventh  group,”  continued  the  captain,  turn- 
ing to  the  map  again,  “ is  the  Cagayanes,  who  num- 
ber about  150,000  in  all.  They  are  located  in  the 
north  part  of  Luzon  and  occupy  the  valley  of  Caga- 
yan River,  which  is  a stream  of  considerable  impor- 
tance. It  is  navigable  about  150  miles  for  vessels 
drawing  3 feet  of  water,  and  for  rafts  50  miles  far- 
ther. The  valley,  which  is  very  fertile,  has  an  area 
of  about  10,000  square  miles.  The  Cagayanes  thus 
have  a considerable  commerce,  and  are  quite  intelli- 
gent. The  area  along  the  mouth  of  the  river,  how- 
ever, is  occupied  by  a small  group  of  Ilacanos,  and 
hence  the  Cagayanes  are  almost  entirely  an  interior 
people,  differing  in  that  particular  from  any  of  the 
other  civilized  tribes,  which  have  in  every  case  a 
frontage  upon  the  ocean.” 

“ Group  Ho.  7,  the  Cagayanes,  numbering  about 
150,000  and  located  in  the  interior  of  northern 
Luzon,”  murmured  Mr.  Teller,  as  he  added  a line 
to  his  statistical  statement. 

“ The  eighth  and  last  group  of  the  Christian  or 


182 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


civilized  Filipinos/’  said  the  captain,  “ is  the  Zam- 
balan  or  Zambales,  as  they  are  called.  They  are  but 
about  50,000  in  number,  and  occupy  a small  dis- 
trict on  the  west  shore  of  Luzon,  a little  north  of 
Manila  Bay.  They  have  a pretty  good  trade,  for 
their  section  is  fertile,  and  they  can  easily  reach  the 
markets  of  Manila. 

“ Group  No.  8,  the  Zambales,  50,000,  and  lo- 
cated on  the  west  shore  of  Luzon,”  said  Mr.  Teller, 
making  his  final  line  and  beginning  to  add  up  the 
total. 

“ Yes,”  added  Mr.  Teller,  as  he  made  his  footing, 
your  statements  prove.  You  said  in  the  beginning 
that  there  were  about  7,500,000  people  in  these  is- 
lands, of  which  about  7,000,000  were  Christians,  or 
civilized,  and  a half  million  wild  tribes.  You  have 
given  us  the  Visayans,  3,250,000 ; the  Tagalogs, 
1,500,000 ; the  Ilocanos,  800,000 ; the  Bicols,  a half 
million;  the  Pangasinians,  one  third  of  a million; 
the  Pampangans,  one  fourth  of  a million;  the  Caga- 
yanes,  150,000;  and  the  Zambales,  50,000;  and  that 
foots  up  just  about  7,000,000.” 

“ I am  glad  to  have  my  figures  confirmed  by  such 
distinguished  authority,”  said  the  captain  with  a 
laugh ; “ but  of  course  you  will  understand  that  I 
have  spoken  in  very  round  terms,  and  that  where  I 
said  a quarter  or  a half  million,  or  a million  or 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


183 


million  and  a half,  the  figures  may  be  a little  more 
or  a little  less,  but  I thought  it  better  to  put  them  in 
round  terms,  because  they  are  less  tiresome  and  more 
easily  remembered.” 

“ You  have  given  us  the  eight  groups  into  which 
the  Christian  or  civilized  7,000,000  are  divided,” 
said  Miss  Dennison ; “ but  how  about  the  one  half 
million  non-Christian,  or  ‘ wild  ’ tribes,  as  the  census 
calls  them.” 

“ Well,”  replied  the  captain,  glancing  again  at  the 
barometer,  “ that  is  a simple  story,  or  a complex  one, 
just  as  you  choose  to  consider  it.  About  one  half  of 
the  half  million  non-Christian,  uncivilized,  or  ‘ wild  ’ 
tribes  are  Moros,  or  Mohammedans,  and,  as  you 
know,  are  located  chiefly  in  the  islands  of  Fulu  and 
Mindanao,  which  we  have  visited.  The  next  largest 
group  of  the  wild  people  is  the  Igorrotes,  about  200,- 
000  in  number,  who  occupy  the  mountainous  part  of 
northern  Luzon.  Another  group  of  which  we  have 
heard  a good  deal  is  the  Negritos,  who  are  chiefly 
located  in  northeast  Luzon,  hut  some  of  them  are 
found  on  the  island  of  Mindanao  and  others  of  the 
islands.  The  Igorrotes  and  Negritos  are  looked  upon 
as  perhaps  the  least  advanced  in  civilization  of  any 
of  the  wild  tribes,  but  do  not  occupy  the  same  area 
and  are  quite  different  in  characteristics.  The  Igor- 
rotes are  large,  well-developed  people,  with  straight 


184 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


black  hair  and  yellow  skins,  and  are  believed  by  some 
to  be  of  the  same  general  stock  as  the  1 hairy  Ainu  ’ 
of  Japan  and  Formosa;  while  the  Negritos  are  the 
smallest  people  on  the  island,  less  than  five  feet  in 
stature,  with  woolly  hair  and  black  skins.  In  habits 
also  the  two  groups  are  different.  The  Igorrotes  are 
some  of  them  warlike,  and  their  greatest  ambition  is 
to  take  the  heads  of  their  enemies,  hence  they  are 
called  ‘ head  hunters  ’ ; yet  withal  they  are  fairly 
industrious,  and  have  developed  a wonderful  system 
of  agriculture  by  the  aid  of  irrigation  in  the  mountain 
regions  of  Luzon  which  they  occupy.  The  Negritos 
live  chiefly  on  fruits,  roots,  and  other  natural  prod- 
ucts, including  those  of  the  chase,  though  they  add  to 
these  vegetables  and  fruits  grown  in  little  patches  of 
ground  alongside  their  temporary  houses,  which  are 
often  built  in  the  tops  of  trees  and  reached  by  lad- 
ders. There  are  a number  of  smaller  tribes  scat- 
tered through  the  mountainous  sections  of  the  islands, 
but  they  are  such  small  groups  that  they  are  of  little 
importance  in  a general  analysis  of  the  population 
of  the  islands.  Indeed,  these  three  groups  which  I 
have  named — the  Moros,  the  Igorrotes,  and  the  Ne- 
gritos— get  much  more  attention  in  print  than  their 
numbers  would  seem  to  justify,  as  the  number  of 
Moros  in  the  entire  Philippine  group  is  but  277,000, 
or  about  3 per  cent  of  the  total  population;  while 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


185 


the  Igorrotes  number  but  about  200,000  and  the 
Negritos  about  25,000.” 

“ I don’t  understand,”  said  Miss  Saxton,  “ how  it 
is  that  these  people  in  the  Philippine  Islands  are 
broken  up  into  so  many  tribes  and  have  so  many  dif- 
ferent languages.  You  have  told  us  that  they  are 
practically  all  of  one  original  stock — the  Malays, 
except  the  Negritos,  who  are  perhaps  the  original 
people.” 

“ That  is  another  story,”  said  the  captain,  rising 
and  placing  the  map  in  its  place  in  the  table  drawer, 
“ which  I cannot  discuss  to-day,  for  I see  the  peaks 
of  Cebu  rising  in  the  distance  and  hope  to  have  an 
opportunity  to  show  you  soon  some  of  the  Visayan 
people  and  one  of  the  most  densely  populated  islands 
of  the  Philippine  group.” 


CHAPTER  XIII 


A few  hours  later  the  West  Virginia  sailed  quietly 
into  the  harbor  of  the  little  city  of  Cebu.  There  was 
the  usual  collection  of  small  native  rowboats,  which 
came  racing  out  to  meet  the  vessel,  the  occupants 
shouting  and  pulling  at  the  oars  in  their  haste  to  be 
first  to  reach  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

“ What  makes  them  so  anxious  to  get  here  first  ? ” 
asked  Miss  Saxton  as  she  stood  on  the  deck  of  the 
vessel  and  saw  the  race  in  which  a score  of  native 
boats  were  vying  with  each  other  in  the  effort  to  be 
the  first  at  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

“ The  same  rivalry  which  goes  on  everywhere,” 
said  Captain  Wilkins,  “ the  race  for  a chance  to  earn 
a penny  or  a dollar.  The  people  who  affirm  that  the 
Eilipino  is  lazy  should  see  the  eagerness  with  which 
he  struggles  for  an  opportunity  to  earn  money.  He 
may  be  satisfied  with  a smaller  quantity  of  it  than 
others  who  have  had  a more  practical  experience  than 
he  has,  but  certainly  he  is  usually  ready  to  take  up 
any  kind  of  work  and  compete  for  an  opportunity  to 
earn  by  it.” 


186 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


187 


By  this  time  the  little  rowboats  had  drawn  up 
alongside  of  the  steamer  and  the  occupants  were 
offering  their  services  to  transport  passengers  or 
freight  on  shore,  while  a dozen  garmentless  boys 
swam  round  and  round  the  vessel,  clamoring  for  an 
opportunity  to  dive  for  coins. 

Soon  the  captain’s  launch,  a trim  little  boat  capa- 
ble of  carrying  a dozen  people,  was  in  the  water,  the 
little  gasoline  engine  which  operated  it  set  the  pro- 
pellers in  motion,  and  the  captain  and  his  guests 
took  their  places  in  it,  headed  for  the  dock.  As  they 
set  foot  on  shore  they  encountered  a group  of  natives 
with  brown  faces  and  straight  black  hair  and  clad 
in  white  coats  and  trousers,  with  white  hats  resem- 
bling those  knowm  in  the  United  States  as  “ Pana- 
ma.” The  women  wore  skirts  of  some  bright  color 
— pink,  red,  or  yellow — and  above  these  jackets  of 
thin,  semitransparent  material,  with  huge  sleeves 
which  set  out  at  the  shoulders  like  w'ings.  They  all 
stood  in  respectful  silence  as  the  party  landed,  the 
drivers  of  the  little  two-wheeled  passenger  vehicles 
standing  expectantly  whip  in  hand  at  the  side  of 
their  ponies. 

“ What  a nice-looking  lot  of  people,”  said  Miss 
Saxton.  “ Why,  they  look  quite  civilized,  and  very 
different  from  those  that  we  saw  in  the  islands  of 

Sulu  and  Mindanao.” 

13 


188 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ Yes,”  replied  the  captain ; “ you  now  begin  to 
see  the  Filipino  as  be  is,  and  you  will,  I think,  be 
agreeably  surprised  when  you  contrast  him  with  the 
people  you  have  seen  in  Egypt  and  India  and  the 
Malayan  Peninsula.” 

In  a few  moments  two  carromatas,  drawn  by 
sturdy  little  ponies,  had  been  engaged  for  a drive 
about  the  city.  As  they  passed  up  the  long  street 
which  forms  the  principal  business  thoroughfare  of 
the  place,  the  young  ladies  were  surprised  to  see 
many  stone  and  frame  business  buildings  of  consid- 
erable size,  and  at  the  doors,  attracted  by  the  visit 
of  the  strangers,  stood  the  proprietors,  some  of  them 
evidently  Americans,  others  English,  others  Spanish, 
and  still  others  Germans ; while  in  the  doors  of  the 
smaller  shops  stood  prosperous-looking  Chinamen, 
and  in  still  others  well-dressed  men  and  women  whose 
faces  proclaimed  them  Eilipinos. 

“ You  see,”  said  the  captain,  as  the  carromatas 
halted  in  a shady  spot  after  a drive  through  the  prin- 
cipal street,  “ there  are  a good  many  foreigners  in 
business  here.  The  island  of  Cebu  is  a great  pro- 
ducer of  hemp  and  tobacco  and  sugar,  and  this  city 
of  Cebu  is  the  principal  market  and  place  of  ship- 
ment of  these  products,  and  as  there  were  many  Span- 
ish and  English  and  Germans  in  business  here  when 
the  Americans  took  possession  of  the  islands  many 


STREET  SCENE  IN  A FILIPINO  CITY. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


189 


of  them  have  remained.  The  Englishman  or  Ger- 
man, especially  the  latter,  when  he  enters  business 
in  such  a place  as  this,  settles  down  to  devote  his  en- 
tire time  and  attention  to  the  business,  and  to  make 
himself  permanently  a part  of  the  country.  You 
will  find  them  here  and  at  Iloilo  and  other  places  on 
the  islands,  especially  in  Manila,  and  you  will  he 
surprised,  I think,  at  the  evidences,  not  only  of 
prosperity,  but  the  comfortable  manner  in  which  they 
live.” 

And  so  it  was,  for  as  they  drove  through  the  resi- 
dence part  of  the  city  and  along  the  hills  overlooking 
the  bay,  they  found  beautiful  bungalows  nestling  in 
groves  of  palms,  their  owners  clad  in  white  and  sit- 
ting contentedly  on  the  verandas,  with  punkas  swing- 
ing over  their  heads.  As  the  sun  sank  toward  the 
horizon,  the  mass  of  clouds  was  lighted  up  with  the 
most  gorgeous  colors,  which  reminded  them  of  the 
beautiful  sunset  which  they  had  witnessed  at  Zambo- 
anga. A little  later  they  turned  into  a well-paved 
street  lined  with  stately  trees,  along  which  were  being 
driven  carriages  drawn  by  handsome  horses,  with 
native  drivers  clad  in  brown  linen  liveries  trimmed 
with  red,  while  upon  the  seats  of  the  open  carriages 
were  the  families  of  prosperous  merchants  taking  the 
cool  air  of  the  evening.  Falling  in  with  the  proces- 
sion, they  soon  found  themselves  in  a park  filled  with 


190 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


people  dressed  in  white,  gathered  about  a music 
stand  from  which  a Filipino  hand  in  snowy  uniforms 
discoursed  excellent  music. 

“ The  Filipino  is  a natural  musician  and  a great 
lover  of  music,”  said  the  captain,  “ and  you  find 
native  hands  and  native  music  in  every  town  of  any 
importance.” 

After  a half  hour  spent  in  listening  to  the  music 
and  studying  the  throng  of  people  who  passed  and 
repassed,  they  turned  their  faces  toward  the  harbor. 

“ This  has  been  an  afternoon  of  surprises,”  said 
Miss  Dennison,  as  they  found  themselves  again  on 
the  deck  of  the  West  Virginia.  “ I did  not  expect  to 
find  here  so  many  evidences  of  civilization  of  the 
kind  to  which  we  are  accustomed,  nor  so  large  and 
prosperous  a place.” 

“ Yes,”  said  the  captain,  “ the  island  of  Cebu  is 
one  of  the  most  densely  populated  of  the  Philippine 
group  and  its  people  are  industrious  and  prosperous. 
The  island  has  a population  of  650,000,  or  about  the 
same  as  that  of  the  State  of  Maine,  while  the  area  is 
less  than  that  of  the  State  of  Delaware.  You  will 
get  some  idea  of  the  crowded  condition  of  the  island 
when  I tell  you  that  the  population  averages  337 
per  square  mile,  while  the  average  population  per 
square  mile  in  the  United  States  is  but  26 ; so  that 
the  population  of  Cebu  Island  is  about  twelve  times 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


191 


as  dense  as  that  of  the  United  States  as  a whole. 
Even  this  little  city  of  Cebu  has  a population  of 
about  20,000. 

“ We  must  he  up  early  to-morrow,”  continued  the 
captain,  “ for  I want  to  take  you  to  the  historic  spot 
where  Magellan,  the  discoverer  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  made  his  landing,  and  also  to  the  spot  where 
he  lost  his  life.  His  memory  is  revered  by  the  people 
here,  and  especially  by  those  of  Spanish  descent,  for, 
although  he  was  Portuguese  by  birth,  his  discovery  of 
these  islands  was  made  in  the  service  of  Spain.  The 
Pope,  you  know,  had  given  to  Portugal  all  the  ter- 
ritory which  it  might  discover  at  the  East  as  far  as 
a certain  meridian,  and  to  Spain  the  lands  which 
she  might  discover  at  the  west  as  far  as  that  merid- 
ian.* Magellan  believed  that  the  Molucca,  or  Spice 
Islands,  were  in  the  area  given  to  Spain,  and  pro- 
posed to  reach  them  by  sailing  to  the  west  across  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,  and  it  was  in  an  attempt 
to  carry  out  this  undertaking  that  he  discovered  the 
Philippine  group.  He  touched  first  at  the  little  is- 
land of  Homonhon  on  March  16,  1521,  but  continued 
on  to  this  island,  where  he  landed,  set  up  a cross  and 
took  possession  in  the  name  of  Spain.  From  this 
place  he  went  to  the  little  island  of  Mactan,  which 
lies  just  across  the  harbor  here,  and  there  he  lost 
liis  life  in  a conflict  with  the  natives.  His  vessels 


192 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


went  on  after  a short  stay  here,  and  one  of  them, 
the  Victoria,  continued  the  voyage  to  the  west  by 
Avay  of  India  and  around  the  southern  cape  of 
Africa  to  Spain,  thus  making  the  first  trip  aroimd 
the  world.  It  was  not  until  1565,  however,  that  the 
Spanish  Government  actually  took  possession  of  the 
islands  and  set  up  their  first  colony;  and  it  was  at 
this  very  spot  that  they  did  so,  continuing  this  place 
as  their  headquarters  until  1571,  when  Manila  was 
taken  and  the  headquarters  of  Spanish  authority 
transferred  there.  So  you  see,  you  are  on  historic 
ground,  the  site  of  the  landing  of  Magellan  and  the 
place  at  which  he  lost  his  life ; also  the  seat  of  the 
first  Spanish  government  set  up  in  these  islands.” 
They  were  up  betimes  the  next  morning,  and 
after  breakfast  a short  run  with  their  little  launch 
brought  them  to  the  tiny  island  of  Mactan,  where 
they  visited  the  monument  to  Magellan,  erected  on 
the  spot  where  he  was  killed  in  the  conflict  with  the 
natives.  Then  they  returned  to  the  town  of  Cebu, 
where  they  were  conducted  to  a curious  little  pavilion 
which  marks  the  place  where  Magellan  erected  a 
cross  and  took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name 
of  the  Spanish  sovereign.  The  following  day  they 
visited  the  principal  church,  where  they  found  morn- 
ing services  in  progress  and  a line  of  people  coming 
and  going,  entering  or  leaving  the  church.  The 


UNCLE  SAM'S  CHILDREN 


193 


seats  in  the  central  part  of  the  edifice  were  occu- 
pied by  well-dressed  men  and  women  with  the  Span- 
ish cast  of  countenance,  while  on  the  tiled  floor  at 
the  rear  of  the  seats  scores  of  Filipino  men  and 
women  knelt,  muttering  their  prayers  and  count- 
ing their  beads.  Along  the  wall,  composed  of  white 
glazed  tiles,  stood  rows  of  young  men  in  spotless 
suits  of  white,  listening  to  the  music  produced  from 
an  organ  with  bamboo  pipes  and  played  by  a neatly 
dressed  Filipino  who  manipulated  the  pedals  with 
bare  feet.  From  the  church  they  passed  to  the  school 
building  just  alongside,  but  found  it  unoccupied 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  day  was  a fiesta,  or  feast 
day,  and  hence  a holiday  for  the  school. 

As  they  were  leaving  the  school  building  they  no- 
ticed that  many  of  the  Filipino  men  whom  they 
passed  on  the  street  were  each  carrying  a full-grown 
male  chicken  under  his  arm  and  that  others  who 
accompanied  them  seemed  to  be  in  a state  of  con- 
siderable excitement,  talking  in  their  native  language, 
gesticulating,  and  giving  careful  attention  to  the 
fowls  of  varying  plumage  which  were  being  carried. 

“ I suppose  these  people  have  been  to  market  and 
are  hurrying  home  with  their  purchases,”  said  Miss 
Saxton. 

“ By  no  means,”  said  the  captain ; “ these  roosters 
which  you  see  them  carrying  are  not  market  birds, 


194 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


but  gamecocks.  Cockfigkting  is  a favorite  sport  with 
the  Filipinos,  taking  the  place,  with  them,  of  the 
bullfight  in  Spain.  This  is  a fiesta , and  they  are 
going  to  have  a cockfight  in  this  inclosure  which  you 
see  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.” 

As  they  passed  the  door  of  the  inclosure,  they  saw 
a crowd  of  men  pushing  and  struggling  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  pay  their  admission  fee  and  enter  the  build- 
ing. As  each  man  handed  his  coin  to  the  gatekeeper 
he  placed  his  foot  on  a block  just  beside  that  func- 
tionary, who  stamped  upon  the  bare  foot  a figure, 
which  served  as  a ticket  to  show  that  the  wearer 
had  paid  his  admission  fee  and  was  entitled  to  visit 
any  part  of  the  building  and  join  in  the  betting 
on  the  numerous  cockfights  which  were  in  store  for 
the  day. 

“ This  cockfighting  habit  extends  to  all  classes  of 
people,  I am  sorry  to  say,”  said  the  captain,  “ and 
no  effort  was  made  under  the  Spaniards  to  dis- 
courage it.  You  teachers  will  have  an  opportunity 
to  impress  your  pupils  and  their  families  with  the 
importance  of  cultivating  different  habits.” 

As  he  said  this  a messenger  from  the  West  Vir- 
ginia approached  and,  saluting  respectfully,  handed 
the  captain  a cablegram  which,  after  excusing  him- 
self, he  opened. 

“ Hallo,”  he  said  as  he  read  it,  “ this  is  a change 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


195 


in  plans  and  seems  to  call  for  more  exploration  than 
we  had  bargained  for.” 

“ Nothing  serious,  I hope,  captain,”  said  Mrs. 
Baker  with  a look  of  anxiety  on  her  face.  “ I have 
seen  so  many  cablegrams  and  so  many  sudden  changes 
in  the  plans  of  army  and  navy  people  as  a consequence 
of  them  that  I am  always  nervous  when  I see  one 
coming.” 

“ This  is  not  at  all  serious,”  replied  the  captain. 
“ It  merely  directs  me  to  proceed  in  person  to  the 
interior  of  this  island  to  attend  to  some  business  for 
the  Government,  and  will  only  mean  a delay  of  a 
day  of  two.  You  ladies  will  be  perfectly  comfort- 
able on  the  West  Virginia,  and  I will  ask  Captain 
King,  who  is  in  command  of  the  naval  station  here, 
to  look  after  your  welfare  while  I am  absent.  Cap- 
tain King  was  formerly  in  command  of  the  West 
Virginia,  and  knows  the  vessel  from  stem  to  stern, 
and  wall  take  as  good  care  of  you  as  I possibly  could, 
and  he  will  be  assisted  by  Mrs.  King,  who  is  with 
him.” 

“ I think  we  may  feel  pretty  safe  in  that  respect,” 
said  Mrs.  Baker,  “ for  I know  Captain  and  Mrs. 
King  very  well,  and  can  assure  these  young  ladies 
that  we  shall  be  well  cared  for  if  they  are  charged 
with  our  protection  during  the  absence  of  Captain 
Wilkins.” 


196 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


A half  hour  later  all  douhts  were  settled,  though 
Captain  and  Mrs.  King  had  insisted  upon  the  ladies 
being  guests  at  their  bungalow  during  Captain  Wil- 
kins’s absence,  and  Captain  Wilkins  the  more  readily 
yielded  to  the  request  of  Mr.  Teller  that  he  be  per- 
mitted to  participate  in  the  trip  to  the  interior  of 
the  island. 

They  started  at  daylight  the  next  morning  on  the 
hacks  of  a couple  of  sturdy  ponies  of  the  type  which 
are  found  on  the  islands,  accompanied  by  two  guides 
and  an  attendant  in  charge  of  their  baggage.  Their 
first  plans  for  the  trip  included  a carromata  instead 
of  the  saddles,  but  an  inquiry  regarding  the  condi- 
tion of  the  roads  and  bridges  soon  showed  them  that 
the  use  of  the  carromata  at  any  considerable  distance 
in  the  interior  coidd  not  be  relied  upon. 

As  they  rode  through  the  country  they  found  on 
either  side  the  lands  divided  into  small  fields,  here 
a patch  of  rice  well  advanced  and  nearly  ready  for 
the  sickle ; there  another,  young  and  of  a bright, 
vivid  green  color;  and  still  other  patches  only  just 
visible  above  the  water  with  which  the  land  had  been 
flooded  by  irrigating  ditches  which  brought  the  water 
from  a small  mountain  stream  some  distance  away. 
In  another  field  the  land  was  just  being  prepared  for 
planting,  with  wooden  plows  pulled  by  carabao , 
which  moved  slowly  through  the  sea  of  mud,  sinking 


WORKING  IN  THE  RICE-FIELDS, 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


197 


to  their  knees  at  every  step,  their  drivers  clad  only 
in  a garment  composed  of  a long  strip  of  cotton  cloth 
wrapped  about  the  waist  and  hips  and  drawn  between 
the  legs,  the  heads  covered  by  huge  umbrella-shaped 
hats,  which  protected  the  head  and  shoulders  from 
the  rays  of  the  sun.  In  the  little  fields  in  which  the 
rice  was  nearing  the  state  ready  for  harvesting,  long 
lines  made  of  bejuco,  or  rattan,  had  been  strung  on 
posts  and  pieces  of  cloth  attached.  These  lines  were 
connected  with  another  running  at  right  angles  and 
reaching  to  a little  mpu-covered  hut  in  which  sat  a 
Filipino  boy  who  by  a gentle  pull  on  the  line  kept 
the  pieces  of  cloth  in  motion,  thus  preventing  the  de- 
struction of  the  rice  by  the  birds  which  lingered  in 
the  tree  tops  near  by,  hoping  that  the  lad  might  fall 
asleep  at  his  task  and  permit  a descent  upon  the  field. 

Other  little  patches  of  land  were  devoted  to  ca- 
motes,  or  sweet  potatoes,  others  to  corn,  and  as  they 
passed  farther  on  they  found  larger  fields  devoted 
to  sugar  cane,  tobacco,  and  upon  the  mountainsides 
fields  of  hemp,  and  among  them  men  and  women  at 
work  cultivating  the  growing  crops  or  harvesting 
those  which  had  reached  the  condition  for  marketing. 

“ I don’t  understand  where  the  people  live,”  said 
Mr.  Teller,  as  they  rode  on  among  these  fields  cov- 
ered with  growing  crops  and  dotted  here  and  there 
with  busy  workers.  “ There  are  fields  and  fields 


198 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


and  men  and  women  at  work  in  them,  but  I don’t  see 
any  houses.” 

“ We  shall  come  to  their  villages  soon,”  replied  the 
captain.  “ The  people  on  these  islands  do  not  live 
in  single  dwellings  on  their  farms,  as  the  farmers  do 
in  our  own  country.  They  live  in  little  villages  or 
groups  of  houses,  perhaps  a score  or  two  of  families 
in  a group.  This  has  always  been  their  custom,  and 
it  is  the  custom  in  most  parts  of  the  East  and,  in- 
deed, in  many  of  the  countries  of  Europe.  It  doubt- 
less originated  in  the  necessity  of  cooperation  in 
defense  against  robbers  and  wild  animals.  You 
would  scarcely  think,  to  travel  through  this  country 
for  miles  without  seeing  a habitation,  that  the  is- 
land is  thickly  populated;  hut  in  fact  it  is  one  of 
the  most  densely  populated  of  the  group.  Its  total 
area  is  hut  1,760  square  miles,  or  less  than  that  of 
the  State  of  Delaware,  but  it  has  a population  of 
653,000,  making  the  average  population  336  per 
square  mile,  which  is  more  than  fourteen  times  as 
great  as  the  average  density  in  the  United  States,  and 
only  exceeded  by  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  with  407 
per  square  mile  and  Massachusetts  with  349  per 
square  mile.” 

As  they  proceeded  it  became  apparent  that  they 
were  approaching  one  of  the  villages  occupied  by  the 
farmers  through  whose  little  estates  they  had  been 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


199 


passing.  The  natives  moving  along  the  road  in- 
creased in  numbers,  some  of  them  traveling  on  foot, 
others  riding  on  carabao  or  in  carts  drawn  by  those 
faithful  but  slow-moving  beasts.  Women  moved 
along  the  roadside  carrying  huge  loads  of  fruit  or 
products  of  the  farm  or  forest  in  trays  or  baskets 
balanced  upon  their  heads,  a baby  seated  astride  the 
hips  and  held  in  position  by  the  left  arm  of  the 
mother,  while  others  of  their  children,  clad  only  in 
the  garb  of  nature,  indulged  in  childish  sports  and 
games  quite  similar  to  those  of  children  in  the  rural 
communities  in  America.  Girls  walking  along  the 
roadside  carried  on  their  shoulders  long  bamboo 
poles,  which  the  captain  explained  were  filled  with 
water,  this  being  the  usual  method  of  its  transporta- 
tion for  household  purposes. 

As  they  reached  the  village  a score  or  two  of  neat 
nipa  houses  ranged  on  either  side  of  the  road  came 
into  view.  Each  house  had  its  little  plat  of  ground 
utilized  as  a garden,  with  beans,  potatoes,  onions, 
and  sweet  potatoes  growing  in  profusion.  There 
were  numbers  of  small  shops  by  the  roadside,  with 
little  stacks  of  bright-colored  cloths,  pins,  needles, 
discarded  beer  bottles  filled  with  kerosene  oil,  soap, 
tobacco,  tuba,  and  the  inevitable  betel  nut,  with  lime 
and  buyo  leaves  to  accompany  it.  Women  sitting 
upon  the  ground  with  mats  spread  before  them  of- 


200 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


fered  their  little  stocks  of  bananas,  mangoes,  and 
other  fruits,  green  corn  just  pulled  from  the  stalks, 
camotes,  beans,  and  rice.  A good-sized  church,  a lit- 
tle removed  from  the  roadside,  stood  with  open  doors, 
through  which  the  passers  could  see  the  candles  burn- 
ing upon  the  altars  and  the  worshipers  kneeling  upon 
the  stone  floor.  Pigs  and  chickens  in  profusion 
roamed  at  will  about  the  village,  dogs  barked  at 
passers  or  scurried  away  alarmed  at  the  sight  of 
strangers,  monkeys  scrambled  up  the  trees  and  chat- 
tered and  scolded  from  a safe  distance,  and  parrots 
swinging  in  cages  conversed  in  the  Yisayan  lan- 
guage or  exchanged  compliments  with  their  uncivil- 
ized neighbors  perched  in  trees  near  by,  while  flocks 
of  crows  cawed  noisily  from  the  tree  tops. 

“ This,”  said  the  captain,  “ is  what  is  known  as  a 
barrio.  The  Filipino  governmental  unit,  under  the 
old  Spanish  system,  was  the  pueblo,  which  had  as 
its  center  a town  or  city  of  from  five  hundred  to  sev- 
eral thousand  inhabitants,  and  attached  to  it  and  un- 
der the  control  of  the  presidente,  or  mayor,  were 
these  little  villages,  called  barrios,  some  of  them  a 
mile,  some  two  or  three  or  five  miles  away.  This 
system  of  government  was  established  as  the  most 
convenient  and  practical,  and  had  as  a part  of  its 
purpose  the  bringing  of  the  people  under  control 
of  the  larger  churches  which  were  located  in  the  cen- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


201 


tral  town,  the  residence  of  the  presidente.  There  are 
primary  schools  in  the  larger  of  the  barrios,  and 
those  of  a more  advanced  order  in  the  central  town 
or  city  of  the  pueblo .” 

As  the  day  advanced  and  the  heat  of  the  sun  be- 
came more  intense,  the  ponies  began  to  show  signs  of 
fatigue,  and  by  the  time  they  had  reached  the  little 
city  at  the  center  of  the  island  to  which  Captain  Wil- 
kins’s duties  called  him,  it  was  apparent  that  the 
ponies  could  not  he  relied  upon  for  the  return  trip. 
To  add  to  their  embarrassment,  they  found  on  ar- 
rival that  the  official  with  whom  the  captain  must 
communicate  had  been  called  that  morning  to  Toledo, 
a town  on  the  western  coast  of  the  island,  and  that 
the  only  available  conveyance  in  which  they  could 
follow  him  was  a carabao  cart,  which  they  promptly 
engaged,  sending  one  of  the  guards  hack  to  Cebu 
with  a request  to  Captain  King  that  he  bring  the 
West  Virginia  around  the  island  and  meet  them  at 
Toledo. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


Travel  by  the  aid  of  the  carabao  has  not  all  of 
the  comfort  or  speed  of  the  Pullman  car  and  the 
limited  express  train.  The  carabao  is  naturally  a 
slow-moving  beast.  It  would  he  difficult  to  find  an 
animal  more  deliberate  in  its  movements.  Ilis  legs 
are  extremely  short,  his  feet  extremely  broad,  his 
body  round  and  heavy,  his  hide  thick  and  whip-proof, 
and  in  disposition  as  well  as  build  he  is  deliberate. 
There  is  but  one  thing  to  which  he  is  sensitive,  and 
that  is  long-continued  heat  combined  with  absence  of 
watei;.  He  can  endure  the  tropical  heat  and  pull 
heavy  loads  under  the  blazing  midday  sun  if  he  can 
have  occasional  opportunity  to  immerse  himself  in 
water  or  wallow  in  the  mud.  If  he  can  do  this  he 
is  tractable,  patient,  and  while  exceedingly  slow  is 
a faithful  and  valuable  animal  for  transportation  of 
“ slow  freights,”  and  as  a last  resort  acceptable  to 
those  who  must  travel  and  can  find  no  other  means 
of  conveyance. 

This  was  the  condition  in  which  Captain  Wilkins 
202 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


203 


and  Mr.  Teller  found  themselves  when  their  ponies 
succumbed  to  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  and  left 
them  stranded  in  the  midst  of  the  island  of  Cebu 
with  no  transportation  available  other  than  a cara- 
bao cart  which  was  passing  that  way,  and  whose 
driver  readily  agreed  to  take  them  and  their  belong- 
ings to  Toledo,  on  the  west  coast  of  the  island,  for 
a modest  compensation.  The  padre  of  the  barrio 
church,  hearing  of  their  plight,  came  to  their  assist- 
ance and  offered  them  the  courtesy  of  beds  and  food 
in  his  comfortable  quarters,  and  the  next  morning 
they  were  off  at  daylight,  hoping  to  make  the  remain- 
ing distance  during  the  day  and  meet  the  West  Vir- 
ginia, which  they  expected  to  find  in  the  harbor  by 
the  time  of  their  arrival  at  Toledo. 

All  went  w7ell  for  the  first  two  hours.  The  carabao 
had  been  well  fed  over  night  and  proceeded  at  a pace 
which  Mr.  Teller  estimated  at  about  two  miles  per 
hour,  which  may  be  considered  quite  a “ burst  of 
speed  ” for  the  carabao.  As  the  sun  grew  hot,  how- 
ever, he  began  to  develop  a disposition  to  turn  off 
the  road  and  make  for  the  streams  which  they  could 
occasionally  hear  splashing  over  some  rocky  places, 
and  it  was  only  by  jumping  off  his  seat  and  pushing 
the  head  and  shoulders  of  the  great  beast  back  into 
the  road  that  the  driver  was  able  to  prevent  a mad 

rush  by  the  carabao  through  the  thicket.  The  ve- 
14 


204 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


hide  to  which  the  animal  was  attached  was  extremely 
simple — two  huge  wooden  wheels  made  by  sawing 
off  the  end  of  a great  log  and  attached  to  a mahog- 
any axle  from  which  bamboo  shafts  extended  to  the 
yoke,  and  on  this  axle  a bamboo  frame  covered  with 
an  awning  of  palm  leaves,  which  protected  the  pas- 
sengers from  the  blazing  sun.  As  the  heat  grew 
more  intense  the  carabao  became  more  unmanageable, 
and  when  a shallow  pool  of  water  came  into  view  by 
a turn  of  the  road  he  threw  off  all  restraint  and, 
changing  from  his  slow  pace  to  a quick  trot,  raced 
madly  toward  the  water  despite  the  efforts  of  his 
driver  to  the  contrary,  and  plunging  in  dropped  con- 
tentedly into  the  water  and  mud.  The  captain  and 
Mr.  Teller,  seeing  that  the  driver  was  no  longer  able 
to  control  him,  made  a quick  jump  as  the  cart  neared 
the  edge  of  the  water  and  narrowly  escaped  being 
immersed  with  the  carabao.  The  driver,  seeing  that 
he  was  no  longer  able  to  control  his  beast,  concluded 
to  make  a virtue  of  necessity,  and  springing  into  the 
shallow  water  in  which  the  carabao  had  laid  himself 
down  used  his  hands  as  a basin,  throwing  the  water 
over  that  part  of  the  animal  not  already  covered  by 
the  mud  or  water  of  the  pool.  After  a few  minutes 
spent  in  this  way;  the  animal  was  persuaded  to  rise 
and  resume  his  place  in  the  road,  dripping  with  mud 
and  water,  but  evidently  refreshed  and  ready  for 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


205 


another  movement  toward  Toledo.  As  the  hours 
passed,  however,  the  experience  was  renewed  again 
and  again,  hut  with  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that 
each  one  brought  them  nearer  to  the  end  of  their 
journey;  and  as  the  sun  was  setting  they  saw,  ly- 
ing at  their  feet  in  the  valley  below  them,  the  pretty 
little  town  of  Toledo,  and  beyond  it  the  blue  sea, 
and  in  the  dim  distance  the  mountains  of  the  island 
of  Negros.  As  they  entered  the  town  they  were 
met  by  a messenger  from  the  telegraph  office  who 
handed  Captain  Wilkins  a telegram  which  stated 
that  the  West  Virginia  was  on  her  way  from  the 
harbor  of  Cebu  and  would  reach  Toledo  before  mid- 
night. 

It  was  a mud-bespattered  pair  of  men  who  hailed 
the  West  Virginia  at  daylight  the  next  morning. 
The  frequent  tropical  showers  of  the  two  days’  trip 
across  the  island  had  left  the  natty  white  suit  of 
Captain  Wilkins  a wrinkled  mass  of  anything  but 
pleasing  appearance,  and  the  frequent  contact  with 
Cebu  mud,  a result  of  the  mad  rushes  of  the  carabao 
during  the  second  day  of  the  journey,  had  intensified 
what  Mr.  Teller  designated  as  its  “ picturesqueness.” 
On  the  other  hand,  the  dignified  outing  suit  in  which 
Mr.  Teller  had  expected  to  teach  the  Filipino  lessons 
in  dress  as  well  as  English  had  yielded  to  the  effect 
of  frequent  drenchings  from  tropical  showers  and 


206 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


dryings  in  the  tropical  sun,  until  its  owner  was 
scarcely  able  to  recognize  it.  Even  the  guide  and  the 
carabao  driver  were  worn  out  and  as  limp  as  Cap- 
tain Wilkins’s  white  suit.  Only  the  carabao  was  cool 
and  self-composed.  His  sides  glistened  with  a fresh 
coat  of  mud  from  the  last  roadside  pool,  his  slender 
tail  switched  vigorously,  bespattering  the  faces  and 
garments  of  the  occupants  of  the  cart  and  gathering 
fresh  supplies  of  mud  from  his  sides  at  each  wave 
of  that  useful  but  vexatious  appendage,  while  his 
jaws  moved  with  clocklike  regularity  as  he  chewed 
the  cud  of  contentment. 

Two  hours  later  the  steamer  was  under  way,  and 
the  captain  and  Mr.  Teller,  bathed,  freshly  shaven, 
and  clad  in  immaculate  white  suits,  sat  down  to 
breakfast  with  the  ladies  and  Captain  King,  who 
had  successfully  brought  the  West  Virginia  around 
the  island.  It  was  arranged  that  Captain  King 
should  accompany  the  party  to  Iloilo,  where  he 
would  be  able  to  take  a return  steamer  direct  to  the 
city  of  Cebu. 

They  coasted  along  the  eastern  and  northern  shores 
of  the  island  of  Kegros,  and  then  turning  to  the 
south  passed  along  its  western  shore.  The  scenery 
was  grand  and  inspiring.  At  places  the  mountains 
came  down  to  the  water’s  edge,  with  bold,  picturesque 
rocks  extending  almost  perpendicularly  hundreds  of 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


207 


feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  whose  dashing 
waves  had  cut  deep  caverns  in  the  rock  during  the 
centuries  in  which  they  never  ceased  their  work.  At 
other  places  the  land  sloped  gently  down  to  the 
water’s  edge,  covered  with  palms,  bananas,  and  luxu- 
rious tropical  vegetation.  Nestling  among  these 
were  little  plantations  of  spices,  pepper,  cinnamon, 
and  indigo,  and  in  the  forests  the  natives  were  busily 
engaged  in  gathering  various  gums,  copal,  India  rub- 
ber, and  other  products  of  this  character,  for  which 
they  found  a ready  market  among  the  Chinese  traders 
at  the  little  villages,  or  barrios,  along  the  coast  and  in 
the  interior.  Scattered  along  the  coast  were  numer- 
ous outlying  islands,  some  of  a considerable  area  and 
others  but  a few  acres  of  rocks.  Far  up  the  sides  of 
these  rocks,  both  on  the  little  islets  and  on  the  shores 
of  the  larger  islands,  there  were  hollows  or  caverns, 
and  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel  the  ladies,  looking 
with  a glass,  could  see  men  carefully  scaling  the  pre- 
cipitous sides  of  these  cliffs  or  being  let  down  from 
the  top  and  entering  these  caverns. 

“ These  men,”  explained  Captain  Wilkins,  “ are 
engaged  in  gathering  edible  birds’  nests.  You  have 
read  of  edible  birds’  nests,  of  course.  Well,  they  are 
made  by  a swallow  or  swift  of  the  humming-bird 
variety,  which  forms  the  nests  of  a gelatinous  gum 
of  a white  color  and  locates  them  in  these  dark  cav- 


208 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


erns.  It  was  formerly  supposed  that  the  gum  used 
in  making  these  nests  was  gathered  from  trees  or 
grasses  or  seaweed,  but  it  is  now  believed  that  it  is 
a secretion  produced  by  a special  gland  with  which 
these  peculiar  birds  are  provided.  Whatever  the 
method  by  which  the  nests  are  made,  they  are  ex- 
tremely popular  among  the  Chinese  as  an  article  of 
food  and  also  for  medical  purposes,  and  are  used  in 
making  soups  by  the  wealthy  Chinese  in  Pekin, 
Shanghai,  Canton,  and  other  fashionable  centers  of 
that  country.  They  are  gathered  by  natives  who 
make  a special  study  of  climbing  these  steep  moun- 
tainsides or  reaching  the  caverns  from  the  tops  of 
the  rocks  by  the  aid  of  bamboo  ladders  or  lines  made 
of  bejuco  or  rattan.  The  nests,  when  taken  before 
they  have  been  used  by  the  birds,  sell  readily  at 
about  $12  Mexican  per  dozen,  and  are  sent  to  China 
and  to  Singapore,  where  also  there  are  many  wealthy 
Chinese.  The  nests  which  have  been  occupied  by 
the  birds  are  also  taken,  and  after  being  carefully 
washed  are  sold  at  a somewhat  less  price. 

“ You  said  that  they  sold  for  $12  Mexican  a 
dozen,”  said  Miss  Saxton ; “ I do  not  fully  under- 
stand what  you  mean  by  Mexican.  I have  noticed 
the  use  of  that  term  frequently  in  speaking  of  prices 
or  money  transactions,  especially  in  Singapore,  where 
we  stopped  a couple  of  days.  It  was  explained  to  us 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


209 


by  a native  money  changer  at  Singapore,  but  I could 
not  understand  it  very  well.” 

“ Simple  enough,”  replied  the  captain.  “ The 
Mexican  dollar  has  long  been  the  standard  of  cur- 
rency in  the  Orient.  It  was  brought  to  these  is- 
lands during  the  time  when  the  trade  between  the 
islands  and  Spain  was  carried  on  by  way  of  Mexico, 
and  became  the  accepted  standard  of  currency  here. 
Then  it  began  to  come  into  use  along  the  coast  of 
China,  which  did  a large  business  with  the  Philip- 
pine Islands  a century  or  so  ago,  before  the  Euro- 
peans had  located  themselves  along  the  eastern  Asi- 
atic coast,  and  from  China  its  use  as  a standard  of 
currency  extended  down  the  coast  as  far  as  the 
Straits  Settlements.  Then,  as  the  need  for  currency 
increased  more  rapidly  than  the  supply  from  Mexico, 
other  silver  coins  of  about  the  same  size  and  appear- 
ance were  also  utilized.  As  the  Mexican  dollar  had 
a little  more  silver  in  it  than  the  American  dollar,  the 
United  States  Government  made  a special  trade  dollar 
of  the  same  weight  as  the  Mexican  dollar,  for  use  in 
trade  with  China  and  other  Oriental  countries ; and 
the  British  Government  also  coined  special  dollars 
of  about  the  same  weight  and  appearance  for  their 
colonies  in  this  part  of  the  world,  including  Hong- 
kong and  the  Straits  Settlements.  But  all  these 
various  dollars  are  known  as  Mexican  dollars  because 


210 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


they  have  about  the  same  amount  of  silver  in  them, 
and  their  value  is  about  the  same  as  that  of  the  Mexi- 
can dollar.  The  ordinary  silver  dollar  of  the  United 
States  has  a fixed  value  guaranteed  at  100  cents 
in  gold  by  the  Government,  while  the  Mexican  dol- 
lar is  worth  whatever  the  silver  in  it  will  bring  from 
day  to  day,  according  to  the  market  price  of  silver. 
So  it  is  necessary,  in  speaking  of  a dollar,  to  indi- 
cate whether  you  are  talking  about  the  United  States 
dollars,  whose  value  is  guaranteed  at  100  cents  in 
gold,  or  the  Mexican  and  other  silver  dollars,  whose 
value  is  not  guaranteed  by  the  Government  which 
issued  them  and  is  constantly  fluctuating.  If  you 
mean  a gold  dollar,  you  add  the  word  ‘ gold  ’ after 
stating  the  number  of  dollars ; if  you  mean  one  of  the 
silver  coins  which  is  not  guaranteed  by  the  Govern- 
ment issuing  it,  you  add  the  word  ‘ Mexican  ’ after 
stating  the  number  of  dollars,  because  the  Mexican 
dollar  is  the  type  of  all  currency  of  that  character  in 
this  part  of  the  world,  whether  the  coin  is  in  fact 
Mexican  or  some  other  coin  of  about  the  same  weight 
and  fineness,  but  not  guaranteed  at  any  fixed  valu- 
ation by  the  Government  which  issued  it.  The  cur- 
rency of  these  islands  has,  however,  been  placed  upon 
a gold  basis  since  the  United  States  Government 
assumed  control  here.  The  silver  coin  called  the 
Peso  was  the  money  in  general  use  under  Spanish 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


211 


control,  but  it  fluctuated  in  value  with  the  changes 
in  the  price  of  silver,  much  as  the  Mexican  dollar 
did.  blow  the  standard  unit  of  currency  is  a gold 
peso  equal  in  value  to  one  half  of  a United  States 
gold  dollar,  and  the  new  silver  pesos  are  maintained 
at  the  same  value  as  the  gold  peso.” 

“ You  spoke  of  a time  when  trade  was  carried  on 
between  these  islands  and  Spain  by  way  of  Mexico,” 
said  Miss  Dennison. 

“ Yes,  that  was  before  the  time  of  steamships  and 
the  Suez  Canal,  when  the  trip  from  Spain  to  these 
islands  had  to  be  made  by  way  of  the  China  Sea,  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  the  southern 
cape  of  Africa,  dnd  when  it  was  found  more  conve- 
nient and  much  safer  to  carry  on  the  trade  between 
these  islands  and  Spain  across  the  Pacific  Ocean  to 
Mexico,  thence  across  Mexico  by  land,  and  thence 
across  the  Atlantic  to  Spain.  At  that  time  there 
were  no  steamships,  for  you  know  the  first  steamship 
crossed  the  Atlantic  less  than  one  hundred  years  ago. 
Besides,  the  danger  of  navigation  through  the  China 
Sea  and  the  Malayan  Archipelago  was  much  greater, 
both  from  typhoons  and  from  pirates,  than  was  the 
case  on  the  Pacific  or  the  Atlantic.” 

As  they  rounded  the  northern  coast  of  the  island 
of  Hegros,  the  nose  of  the  vessel  pointed  again  to 
the  south. 


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UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ We  shall  have  to  pass  down  the  western  side  of 
Negros,”  said  the  captain,  “ for  I have  a short  stop 
to  make  at  Valladolid,  on  the  west  coast  of  the  island, 
and  at  Iloilo,  on  the  east  coast  of  Panay,  the  island 
lying  just  west  of  Negros.” 

As  they  passed  down  the  western  side  of  the  island 
they  saw  evidence  of  great  industrial  activity.  The 
lands  along  the  coast  and  extending  back  into  the 
interior  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  were  fields  of 
sugar  cane,  rice,  and  hemp.  The  people  were  busy 
in  their  fields  or  on  the  roads  over  which  their  prod- 
ucts were  transported  to  market,  and  the  chimneys 
of  great  sugar  factories  showed  that  they  were  now 
in  the  sugar-producing  section  of  the  Philippine 
group. 

“ The  island  of  Negros  is  the  greatest  sugar  pro- 
ducer of  the  entire  Philippine  group,”  said  the  cap- 
tain, as  they  passed  mile  after  mile  and  saw  long 
trains  of  carts  transporting  the  cane  to  the  mills  and 
others  hauling  the  finished  sugar  to  the  little  coast 
towns  for  shipment  to  Manila,  whence  the  surplus 
is  sent  to  Hongkong,  Japan,  and  the  United  States. 

“ How  curious,”  said  Miss  Saxton,  “ that  sugar 
should  be  carried  halfway  around  the  world  from 
these  islands  to  our  markets  in  the  United  States. 
I have  heard  it  said  that  the  United  States  could 
produce  all  of  the  sugar  that  its  people  required 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


213 


from  sugar  beets.  I wonder  why  it  is  that  it  sends 
this  long  distance  to  get  sugar  from  the  Philippine 
Islands  if  it  can  be  made  at  home  so  easily.” 

“ Oh,  there  you  are  calling  up  a big  question,  and 
one  which  our  own  statesmen  have  discussed  a good 
deal  and  are  still  discussing,”  said  the  captain  with  a 
laugh.  “ It  is  too  big  for  me,  and  especially  now, 
for  I see  that  we  are  about  reaching  the  port  of 
Valladolid,  where  we  must  make  a short  stop,  and 
go  thence  across  to  Iloilo,  where  Captain  Iving  is  to 
meet  the  steamer  which  will  take  him  home.”  On 
the  sugar  question,”  he  added,  by  way  of  closing  the 
discussion,  “ I can  only  say  that  the  United  States 
now  buys  from  $75,000,000  to  $100,000,000  worth 
of  sugar  a year  from  foreign  countries,  besides  what 
is  supplied  by  the  Philippine  Islands,  Hawaii,  and 
Porto  Rico,  and  by  the  beet  and  canefields  at  home ; 
and  several  million  dollars  worth  of  this  imported 
sugar  conies  from  Java,  which  is  only  a little  dis- 
tance south  of  these  islands.” 

“ What  a lot  of  sugar  the  people  of  the  United 
States  must  be  consuming,  then,”  said  Miss  Denni- 
son, “ if  they  use  all  that  the  beet  and  cane  planta- 
tions at  home  grow,  and  all  that  is  sent  from  the 
Philippine  Islands,  Hawaii,  and  Porto  Rico,  and  then 
have  to  buy  from  foreign  countries  from  $75,000,000 
to  $100,000,000  worth  a year  besides.” 


214 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


“ Yes,  the  United  States  consumes  more  sugar 
than  any  other  country  of  the  world,”  said  the  cap- 
tain, “ and  the  people  use  on  an  average  about  seventy 
pounds  per  capita  per  annum ; or,  in  other  words, 
the  average  American  consumes  about  one  half  his 
own  weight  in  sugar  each  year  of  his  life.” 

As  he  said  this,  the  vessel  rounded  a sharp  point 
of  the  island,  and  there  before  their  eyes  lay  the 
pretty  little  city  of  Valladolid,  a place  of  about  10,- 
000  inhabitants,  the  very  center  of  a great  and  rich 
sugar-producing  country.  The  docks  were  crowded 
with  people  busily  engaged  in  loading  sugar  and 
hemp  upon  the  little  vessels  lying  alongside,  or  trans- 
porting it  in  barges  called  “ lighters  ” to  the  large 
vessels  lying  out  in  the  harbor.  On  the  streets  the 
carabao  carts  loaded  with  hemp  from  the  farms  or 
sugar  from  the  factories,  whose  smokestacks  were  vis- 
ible in  the  distance,  moved  slowly  to  the  docks,  and, 
having  discharged  their  freights,  turned  their  heads 
again  to  the  country.  Many  small  boats,  filled  with 
fish,  turtles,  sea  slugs,  and  other  products  of  the  sea, 
crowded  their  way  about  the  wharves,  their  occu- 
pants shouting  and  clamoring  for  a place  and  for 
opportunity  to  offer  their  wares  to  the  floating  popu- 
lation and  to  those  on  shore. 

“ V alladolid  is  a busy  place,”  said  Captain  Wil- 
kins, as  they  turned  the  head  of  the  vessel  toward 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


215 


the  setting  sun  and  headed  for  Iloilo.  “ The  island 
of  Negros,  you  see,  produces  nearly  one  half  of  the 
sugar  made  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  is  in- 
creasing its  production  of  hemp  also.  It  has  a popu- 
lation of  nearly  half  a million,  and  is  in  area  about 
the  size  of  the  State  of  Connecticut;  and  the  people 
are  a busy  lot,  full  of  energy  and  activity.  They 
have  some  good  roads,  the  sugar  plantations  are  large, 
and  the  factories  are  in  good  condition ; the  hemp, 
sugar,  tobacco,  and  fruits  which  the  island  produces 
bring  large  sums  of  money  into  the  hands  of  the 
people  here.  The  godowns  are  always  full  of  sugar 
and  hemp  for  exportation,  and  of  miscellaneous 
goods  imported  for  sale  to  the  prosperous  people  of 
the  island.” 

“ Godowns,”  echoed  Mr.  Teller ; “ what  are  go- 
downs  ? ” 

“ Godowns,”  said  the  captain  with  a laugh,  “ is 
the  word  universally  used  in  this  part  of  the  world 
to  indicate  a warehouse  or  storehouse.  You  hear 
no  other  word  used  in  speaking  of  warehouses  in 
any  part  of  the  East,  and  the  chances  are  if  you 
were  to  use  the  word  ‘ warehouse  ’ here  the  people 
would  not  understand  what  you  mean.” 

“ What  a curious  word  to  use  for  warehouse,”  said 
Mr.  Teller. 

“ It  does  seem  so  to  us,”  replied  the  captain,  “ and 


216 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


there  are  various  explanations  given  for  its  adoption 
for  this  purpose.  The  word  seems  to  have  originated 
in  India,  and  one  theory  is  that  the  English  trad- 
ers in  that  country  in  the  early  days  stored  their 
goods  in  the  cellars  or  basements  under  their  places 
of  business,  and  as  they  had  to  go  down  to  get  them, 
the  word  1 godown  ’ gradually  came  to  be  used  for 
the  storehouse.  Another  explanation,  and  probably 
more  nearly  correct,  is  that  the  Dutch,  who  were 
pioneer  traders  in  the  East,  you  know,  have  a word 
similar  to  ‘ godown  ’ which  means  warehouse,  and 
that  in  this  manner  the  warehouse  or  storehouse  came 
to  he  called  a godown.  Still  another  explanation  is 
that  the  Malay  word  for  storehouse  is  ‘ godown,’  or 
something  quite  similar  in  sound.  Whatever  may 
be  the  history  of  the  adoption  of  this  term  as  a desig- 
nation for  storehouse  or  warehouse,  it  is  a fact  that 
all  structures  of  this  character  are  called  by  the  name 
‘ godown  ’ in  India,  Ceylon,  the  Malayan  Peninsula, 
Java,  China,  Japan,  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  in 
the  East  generally.” 

As  they  landed  in  Iloilo  a couple  of  hours  later 
they  found  it  a busy,  bustling  place,  with  large  stores 
and  godowns  and  a general  appearance  of  prosper- 
ity and  activity.  Large  and  prosperous-looking 
stores  with  English,  German,  Spanish,  and  Ameri- 
can management  lined  the  principal  business  street, 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


217 


telegraph  and  telephone  wires  stretched  from  pole 
to  pole  or  house  to  house,  the  streets  were  filled  with 
busy,  active  people,  and  the  American  passengers 
from  the  West  Virginia  rubbed  their  eyes  in  aston- 
ishment at  the  evidences  of  European  and  Ameri- 
can enterprise.  But  they  still  realized  that  they 
were  not  in  America  when  they  saw  the  quaint 
little  carabao  carts  with  awnings  of  nipa  leaves, 
the  Filipino  men  hurrying  about  the  streets  with 
gamecocks  under  their  arms,  the  white  suits,  the 
broad,  umbrella-shaped  hats,  and  the  women  and 
even  children  smoking  black  cigars  of  immense 
proportions. 

Captain  King,  who  was  well  acquainted  in  the 
place,  and  able  to  communicate  in  the  Spanish  lan- 
guage, entered  into  negotiations  for  the  only  four- 
wheeled  vehicle  capable  of  carrying  the  entire  party, 
and,  leaving  Captain  Wilkins  to  attend  to  business, 
drove  with  the  ladies  and  Mr.  Teller  through  the 
town  to  the  barrios  which  formed  its  suburbs.  They 
found  it  a remarkably  pretty  place,  especially  the 
barrios  of  Jaro,  Molo,  and  Oton,  where  there  were 
handsome  residences  on  broad  streets  lined  with 
palms  and  other  tropical  trees,  large  and  handsome 
churches ; and  in  Jaro  a fine  cathedral  and  large  Epis- 
copal palace  and  seminary  fronted  upon  a well-kept 
plaza.  The  native  houses  were  of  the  usual  nipa 


218 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


type,  with  bamboo  sides  and  floors,  standing  on  posts 
several  feet  above  the  ground.  Within  many  of  the 
houses,  or  under  little  shelters  adjoining  them,  were 
hand  looms  for  the  weaving  of  cloth,  being  operated 
in  nearly  every  case  by  native  Avomen. 

“ This  is  the  place  where  the  celebrated  jussi  and 
pina  cloths  are  made,”  said  Captain  King,  “ and  I 
am  glad  to  be  able  to  show  you  the  process  of  manu- 
facture, for  they  are  very  popular  among  the  ladies 
who  visit  the  Philippine  Islands,  as  Avell  as  among 
those  of  the  natives  who  can  afford  it.  The  jussi 
cloth  is  woven  from  the  fibers  of  the  hemp,  to 
which,  also,  filaments  of  imported  silk  are  some- 
times added.  The  cloth  thus  manufactured  is  used 
for  Avomen’s  dresses  and  sometimes  for  shirts  for 
men.  The  pina  cloth  is  made  of  the  fiber  of  the 
leaves  of  the  pineapple  plant,  and  is  a soft,  deli- 
cate, diaphanous  fabric  of  glossy,  silky  appearance, 
made  in  various  colors,  and  is  much  used  for  women’s 
garments  and  for  scarfs,  handkerchiefs,  etc.,  and 
when  embroidered  with  the  skill  which  the  Filipino 
woman  displays  is  very  popular  Avith  visitors  and 
natives.” 

After  a half  hour  spent  in  examining  the  methods 
of  producing  the  attractive  and  popular  products  of 
Philippine  industry,  and  witnessing  the  weaving 
which  is  in  all  cases  performed  by  hand  looms,  the 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


219 


party  returned  to  the  West  Virginia , the  ladies  carry- 
ing with  them  sundry  rolls  of  the  beautiful,  filmy 
material,  which  they  had  purchased  after  witnessing 
the  process  of  manufacture. 

“ And  now,”  said  Captain  Wilkins,  as  they  bade 
Captain  King  good-by  and  took  their  places  on  the 
deck  of  the  vessel,  “ we  are  off  for  Manila.  We  have 
spent  enough  time  in  these  southern  and  central  is- 
lands of  the  group ; let  us  now  take  a look  at  the  city 
of  Manila,  with  its  quarter  of  a million  people,  and 
at  the  island  of  Luzon,  which  has  one  third  of  the 
area  and  one  half  of  the  population  of  the  entire 
Philippine  group.” 

But  these  plans  for  an  early  visit  to  Manila  were 
doomed  to  disappointment.  The  anchor  had  just 
been  raised  and  the  propellers  had  begun  to  revolve, 
when  a signal  gun  on  shore  sounded,  a flag  was 
waved,  and  in  a moment  a little  launch  bearing  the 
flag  of  the  commander  of  the  post  put  off  from  land 
and  headed  for  the  West  Virginia.  As  it  arrived, 
a messenger  ran  nimbly  up  the  rope  ladder  thrown  to 
him  and,  saluting  respectfully,  handed  the  captain 
a cablegram  which  he  hurriedly  tore  open  and  read 
as  follows: 

“ Steamer  from  Hongkong  with  Daniel  Patter- 
son and  others  on  board  driven  ashore  in  a typhoon 


220 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


and  wrecked  in  Lingayen  Gulf.  Patterson  and 
others  reached  land,  but  not  since  heard  from. 
Feared  may  have  fallen  into  hands  of  Igorrote  head- 
hunters. You  are  directed  to  go  to  their  relief 
at  once.” 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  excitement  on  board  the  West  Virginia  after 
the  contents  of  Captain  Wilkins’s  cablegram  became 
known  can  be  better  imagined  than  described.  Cap- 
tain Wilkins  was  at  first  inclined  to  conceal  the  facts 
from  his  passengers,  knowing  that  it  would  give  them 
the  greatest  uneasiness,  especially  those  who  were 
personally  acquainted  with  and  friends  of  Daniel 
Patterson.  On  reflection,  however,  he  thought  that 
he  ought  to  consult  them,  the  more  so  as  be  must  not 
only  make  all  speed  to  the  point  of  the  disaster,  but 
might  be  compelled  himself  to  go  in  search  of  the 
missing  men  and  leave  his  guests  on  board  the  vessel. 
His  judgment  in  this  particular  was  confirmed  by 
that  of  his  chief  officer  and  by  Mr.  Teller,  whom  he 
consulted  separately  before  reaching  a final  determi- 
nation. Then,  with  the  West  Virginia  leaving  the 
harbor  of  Iloilo  at  a plunging  pace,  the  sparks  flying 
from  the  smokestacks,  and  the  engineers  and  firemen 
instructed  to  maintain  the  highest  speed  consistent 
with  safety,  he  quietly  informed  the  ladies  of  the 

221 


222 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


facts  stated  in  the  cablegram,  omitting,  however,  the 
allusions  to  the  head-hunting  Igorrotes  and  substi- 
tuting the  more  general  and  less  alarming  term 
“ natives.”  His  surprise  on  hearing  that  Daniel 
Patterson  was  in  the  Philippine  Islands  was  shared 
by  the  Misses  Dennison  and  Saxton,  who,  of  course, 
had  had  no  word  from  him  since  they  saw  him  fall, 
wounded,  into  the  arms  of  the  policeman  on  the  dock 
at  New  York. 

“ I don’t  see  how  it  can  be  that  Daniel  Patterson 
is  in  this  part  of  the  world,”  said  Miss  Dennison, 
“ for  he  had  no  expectation  of  leaving  home.  Are 
you  sure  that  the  cablegram  said  Daniel  Patterson  ? ” 

“ Quite  sure,”  said  the  captain.  “ There  can  be 
no  doubt  of  that.  Of  course  there  are  probably  more 
Daniel  Pattersons  in  the  world  than  the  one  you  and 
I know,  but  there  is  no  reason  that  this  name  should 
have  been  mentioned  to  me  in  this  cablegram  except 
that  it  was  recognized  by  my  superior  officer  as  that 
of  my  personal  friend.  It  happened  that  he  was 
present  when  Dan  and  I offered  our  services  to- 
gether to  the  Government,  and  he  took  a great  in- 
terest in  Dan,  and  I have  no  doubt  that  it  is  that 
fact  which  led  him  to  notify  me  of  this  terrible 
thing.” 

There  was  little  sleep  on  the  West  Virginia  that 
night.  The  engines  were  urged  to  their  highest 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


223 


speed,  and  the  stout  little  ship  quivered  from  stem 
to  stern  as  she  responded  to  the  rapid  revolution  of 
the  propellers.  The  waves  dashed  over  the  bow  of 
the  vessel  and  covered  the  decks  with  their  spray ; the 
little  groups  of  islands  seemed  to  glide  by  as  if  in 
haste  to  take  themselves  out  of  the  way  of  this  vessel 
which  was  racing  to  save  the  lives  of  imperiled  men ; 
the  gulls  flapped  excitedly  and  screamed  their  sur- 
prise at  the  spectacle  of  this  great  leviathan  rushing 
through  the  waters  at  such  speed,  breathing  sparks 
from  its  nostrils  and  scattering  everything  before  it 
as  it  went.  Luckily  the  night  was  a fine  one.  The 
sea  was  comparatively  smooth,  the  full  moon  render- 
ing every  object  visible,  and  the  American  girls,  de- 
spite their  anxiety,  were  impressed  with  the  beauty 
of  the  scene,  as  they  anxiously  paced  the  decks  clad  in 
waterproof  garments  and  counted  the  hours  as  they 
passed  and  the  leagues  marked  by  the  log,  which  they 
in  their  long  voyage  had  learned  to  read.  As  the 
morning  approached,  fatigue  and  need  of  sleep  drove 
them  to  their  berths,  and  they  were  sleeping  soundly 
when  the  vessel  passed  the  entrance  to  Manila  Bay, 
so  were  not  conscious  of  the  fact  that  the  captain  re- 
ceived from  a watching  dispatch  boat  a long  message 
from  his  superior  officer,  giving  details  of  the  dis- 
aster— the  spot  where  it  occurred,  the  course  which 
the  missing  passengers  had  taken.  What  was  equally 


224 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


important,  two  guides  who  spoke  the  languages  of  the 
tribes  inhabiting  the  country  which  they  must  pene- 
trate, and  were  also  familiar  with  the  routes  and 
methods  of  travel,  came  with  the  dispatch.  They 
brought  also  a letter  from  Daniel  Patterson,  written 
two  days  before  his  departure,  in  which  he  said  that 
his  physicians  had  prescribed  a long  sea  voyage  for 
him,  and  that  he  had  chosen  the  trip  to  Manila  and 
return  in  compliance  with  the  prescription. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  guides  who  had  joined 
the  steamer,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  report  which 
they  had  brought,  the  West  Virginia  was  able  to 
proceed  to  the  very  spot  at  which  the  little  steamer 
from  Hongkong  had  been  driven  upon  the  rocks  by 
the  typhoon.  Anchoring  temporarily,  the  captain 
proceeded  on  shore,  accompanied  by  the  interpreters 
and  a few  trusted  members  of  his  force,  and  soon 
learned  the  particulars.  The  little  vessel  in  which 
Patterson  had  made  the  passage  from  Hongkong 
chanced  to  carry  but  a half-dozen  passengers  on  that 
trip.  When  the  steamer  struck  on  the  rocks  and  was 
about  to  go  to  pieces,  three  boats  were  lowered  and 
manned  by  the  crew,  and  the  passengers  divided 
among  them,  two  to  each  boat.  One  of  the  boats 
was  overturned  before  reaching  the  shore,  another 
was  blown  out  to  sea  and  its  occupants  saved  by  a 
passing  steamer,  and  the  third — the  one  in  which 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


225 


Patterson  had  taken  passage — finally  reached  the 
shore,  where  it  was  carried  against  a rock  by  the 
waves,  the  two  passengers  and  three  members  of  the 
crew  escaping  with  their  lives.  Of  the  three  mem- 
bers of  the  crew  one  was  a Chinaman  and  two  were 
natives  of  the  northern  part  of  Luzon,  and  therefore 
acquainted  with  the  language  of  the  Pangasinians 
and  Ilocanos,  whose  territory  fronts  upon  the  Lin- 
gayen  Gulf,  and  with  that  of  the  head-hunting  Igor- 
rotes,  who  occupy  the  mountainous  interior.  These 
men  had  attempted  to  lead  the  way  to  their  own 
homes,  which  were  located  in  the  boundary  lands 
between  those  of  the  two  civilized  tribes  and  those 
occupied  by  the  head-hunting  Igorrotes,  assuring 
Patterson  and  his  associate  that  they  could  easily 
communicate  thence  with  a military  station  near 
their  homes  and  from  that  place  get  direct  passage 
to  Manila  by  the  railway  which  runs  from  Manila  to 
Dagupan  on  the  Lingayen  Gulf.  They  had  disap- 
peared in  the  direction  of  the  homes  of  these  men 
and  had  not  been  further  heard  from. 

This  was  the  situation  as  Captain  Wilkins  found 
it.  He  had  no  reason  to  doubt  the  statement  of  the 
natives,  for  both  the  Ilocanos  and  Pangasinians  have 
a high  rank  in  intelligence  and  friendly  relations 
with  the  Americans.  Returning  to  his  vessel,  he 
selected  a half-dozen  of  his  most  trusted  men,  capable 


226 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


of  enduring  a long  and  arduous  trip  through  the 
mountains  and  jungles  of  the  island,  and,  with  a 
limited  supply  of  provisions  and  a plentiful  supply 
of  arms  and  ammunition  and  the  necessary  currency, 
prepared  for  departure.  When  everything  was  ready 
he  laid  the  facts  before  the  ladies,  saying  that  a short 
run  would  place  the  vessel  in  the  perfectly  safe  har- 
bor of  Dagupan,  and  directing  the  officer  who  was 
left  in  command  of  the  vessel  to  place  them  in  the 
care  of  the  commanding  officer  of  the  post,  who,  with 
his  family,  would  care  for  them,  an  arrangement  to 
which  they  readily  assented  in  view  of  the  necessity 
for  the  immediate  departure  of  Captain  Wilkins  and 
his  picked  men  in  search  of  Patterson  and  his  com- 
panions. 

Then  the  expedition,  followed  by  the  good  wishes 
and  prayers  of  those  whom  they  left  on  the  ship, 
began  its  march  to  the  interior.  The  purpose  was 
to  follow,  if  possible,  the  route  taken  by  the  ship- 
wrecked party,  but,  if  not,  to  go  by  the  most  direct 
route  to  the  place  designated  as  the  home  of  the  two 
natives  and  situated  on  the  border  of  the  Igorrote 
country. 

During  the  first  day  the  route  led  through  the 
territory  occupied  by  the  Ilocanos  and  then  that  of 
the  Pangasinians.  Mr.  Teller,  who  accompanied  the 
party  and  was  one  of  its  most  active  members, 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


227 


was  surprised  at  the  evidences  of  thrift,  pros- 
perity, and  intelligence  among  the  people.  The 
roads  were  in  many  cases  fairly  good,  the  bridges 
had  been  put  in  good  repair,  and  the  houses,  which 
were  found  in  little  groups  at  short  intervals,  were 
surrounded  by  evidences  of  greater  prosperity  and 
advancement  than  he  had  expected  to  find.  A glance 
through  the  doorways  as  they  passed  showed  that 
they  were  comfortably  furnished,  that  many  of  them 
contained  some  books  and  musical  instruments,  while 
the  well-kept  gardens  and  plentiful  supply  of  chick- 
ens, pigs,  and  goats  indicated  that  the  food  supply 
was  not  lacking.  School  buildings,  with  the  Ameri- 
can flag  floating  above  them,  were  seen  at  intervals, 
and  through  the  doors  he  could  see  bright-look- 
ing young  Filipino  teachers  instructing  the  neatly 
dressed  children,  and  on  several  occasions  he  heard 
the  strains  of  “ America  ” and  the  “ Star-Spangled 
Banner  ” sung  by  youthful  voices  led  by  an  organ 
played  by  the  teacher.  The  fields  were  well  culti- 
vated with  tobacco,  rice,  bananas,  and  hemp,  and 
quantities  of  copra  -were  being  dried  and  prepared 
for  market.  The  men  were  dressed  in  white  cotton 
trousers,  with  shirts  of  some  thin  material,  and  the 
women,  who  gazed  wonderingly  from  the  doors  and 
windows,  wore  the  broad-sleeved  jackets  of  jussi  or 
pina  cloth,  a skirt  of  some  dark  color,  their  feet  en- 


228 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


cased  in  heelless  slippers  and  their  heads  and  arms 
decorated  with  rings  and  bracelets. 

As  they  left  the  section  fronting  upon  the  coast 
and  entered  the  valleys  between  the  mountain  ranges, 
conditions  began  to  change.  Little  plantations  of 
coffee  made  their  appearance  upon  the  mountain- 
sides, and  small  quantities  of  the  berry  purchased 
from  the  natives  proved  to  he  of  such  excellent  qual- 
ity that  a larger  supply  was  laid  in  by  the  captain, 
whose  guides  informed  him  that  the  people  of  north- 
ern Luzon  had  a few  years  ago  been  extremely  suc- 
cessful in  producing  a fine  quality  of  coffee,  but 
that  the  production  had  greatly  decreased  on  account 
of  the  ravages  of  an  insect  which  destroyed  many  of 
the  trees. 

As  they  proceeded  still  farther  into  the  interior, 
they  noted  a marked  change  in  the  appearance  of 
the  natives  and  in  their  dress  and  manners.  The 
full-length  trousers  and  shirt  gaye  place  to  short 
trousers  reaching  from  the  waist  to  the  knee,  the 
upper  part  of  the  body  being  uncovered.  The  wom- 
en wore  short  skirts,  and  in  some  cases  a shawl  of 
bright  colors  thrown  over  the  shoulders  at  the  ap- 
proach of  strangers.  The  rings  and  bracelets  of 
European  or  American  fashions  which  had  decorated 
the  fingers  and  arms  of  the  women  of  the  coast  tribes 
were  no  longer  seen,  and  others  of  native  workman- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


229 


ship  or  composed  merely  of  brass  wire  wound  around 
the  arm  took  their  places.  Instead  of  the  shoe  or 
the  heelless  slipper  the  foot  was  bare,  or  only  pro- 
tected by  a sandal  made  of  the  fiber  from  the  husk 
of  the  cocoanut.  Men  coming  down  from  the  moun- 
tains carried  in  their  hands  a spear  and  at  the  side 
the  bolo , the  universal  companion  of  the  Filipino  in 
the  rural  and  mountainous  regions.  The  houses  were 
smaller  and  consisted  often  of  but  a single  room  or, 
at  the  best,  a couple  of  apartments,  and  their  furnish- 
ings were  more  simple,  and  extending  little  beyond 
the  necessary  cooking  utensils. 

Yet  there  were  evidences  of  industry  and  a plen- 
tiful production  of  the  necessary  food  supplies. 
Fields  of  waving  corn  surprised  the  Americans  by 
the  evidence  which  they  offered  that  this  product  of 
the  temperate-zone  climate  of  the  United  States  can 
thrive  in  the  tropics  and  furnish  a valuable  food 
supply.  The  universally  produced  and  very  useful 
camote,  or  sweet  potato,  grew  in  abundance,  and  on 
the  mountainsides  were  little  terraces  which  had  been 
wralled  and  leveled  up  with  earth,  and  streams  of 
Avater  turned  upon  them  to  render  them  fit  for  the  pro- 
duction of  rice,  which  grew  abundantly  and  yielded 
plentifully.  Pigs  and  chickens  were  abundant  and 
were  in  evidence  in  every  village  or  group  of  houses 
which  they  encountered,  the  pigs  wearing  curious 


230 


UNCLE  SAMS  CHILDREN 


bow-shaped  collars  to  prevent  their  making  their  way 
1 hrough  the  bamboo  and  the  bejuco  fences  which  sur- 
rounded the  gardens. 

The  search  for  the  missing  men,  however,  did  not 
meet  with  the  encouragement  that  the  captain  had 
hoped.  Inquiries  by  the  guides  had  at  first  enabled 
them  to  trace  them  from  point  to  point,  but  as  they 
began  to  enter  the  mountainous  country  above  de- 
scribed, the  natives  grew  noncommunicative  and  all 
traces  of  the  party  were  finally  lost.  It  seemed  neces- 
sary, therefore,  to  make  with  all  speed  direct  to  the 
section  which  the  two  natives  from  the  wrecked  vessel 
had  named  as  their  homes,  and  this  was  done.  Ar- 
riving in  this  section,  a day  was  spent  in  locating 
the  homes  of  the  men,  and  when  they  were  finally 
found  it  was  learned  that  the  party  had  not  arrived 
and  nothing  definite  was  known  as  to  their  where- 
abouts. There  were  rumors,  however,  that  a party  of 
strangers  consisting  of  two  Americans  and  two  others 
who  had  been  looked  upon  as  native  guides  had  been 
captured  by  a band  of  natives  from  the  Igorrote 
country  and  carried  to  the  interior. 

“ Does  that  mean  the  head-hunters  ? ” asked  Mr. 
Teller  in  dismay  as  he  heard  this. 

“ I fear  it  does,”  said  the  captain.  “ But  it  does 
not  necessarily  prove  that  our  friends  have  fallen 
victims  to  the  head-hunting  habits  of  these  people. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


231 


They  are  very  judicious  in  their  choice  of  heads  and 
usually  select  only  those  of  their  tribal  enemies  and 
reserve  for  ransom  any  other  prisoners  they  may  - 
take.” 

The  little  searching  party  moved  quietly  through 
the  villages  and  among  the  mountain  ranges,  making 
cautious  inquiries  through  their  interpreters  of  the 
natives  whom  they  met,  especially  inquiring  of  the 
women  and  children,  who  were  usually  less  guarded 
in  their  replies.  Frequently  they  came  upon  “ rest 
houses,”  structures  which  had  been  erected  by  the 
native  governments  for  the  accommodation  of  trav- 
elers. In  these  they  usually  found  groups  of  people 
cooking  their  rice  and  camotes  and  resting  under 
the  shelter  of  the  nipa  roofs,  and  from  these  they 
heard  of  a party  of  men,  two  Americanos  and  two 
natives,  who  had  been  seen  traveling  with  a party 
of  armed  Igorrotes. 

They  hastened  on,  passing  farther  and  farther 
into  the  interior  and  up  the  long  valleys  which 
grew  narrower  and  narrower.  The  men  whom  they 
met  no  longer  wore  even  the  short  trousers,  but 
were  content  with  a loin  cloth  wrapped  about  the 
hips  and  drawn  between  the  legs,  sometimes  with  a 
knot  at  the  sides  and  occasionally  a long  end  thrown 
over  the  shoulder.  On  their  heads  they  wore  curi- 
ous little  caps  woven  from  narrow  strips  of  rattan 


232 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


or  the  fiber  of  the  hemp  and  dyed  in  some  bright 
color.  Their  feet  were  bare,  and  the  great  toe  was 
abnormally  enlarged  and  stood  out  at  a consider- 
able angle  from  the  others,  being  apparently  used  in 
climbing  trees  and  rocks  along  the  mountainside. 
The  hair  was  worn  in  a tuft  at  the  top  of  the  head 
and  shaved  all  round  the  temples  and  back  of  the 
head.  The  ears  of  the  men  and  women  were  adorned 
with  coils  of  brass  wire  or  shell  rings,  and  the  arms 
and  breasts  were  decorated  with  tattooing  in  squares 
and  triangles  and,  occasionally,  figures  of  animals  or 
flowers.  The  dress  of  the  women  differed  but  little 
from  that  of  the  men,  except  that  the  loin  cloth  was 
extended  to  a very  short  skirt,  usually  of  some  bright 
color,  and  shawls  of  attractive  red  and  black  stripes 
were  thrown  over  the  shoulders  of  some,  while  others 
contented  themselves  with  numerous  strings  of  beads 
which  hung  loosely  about  the  neck  and  across  the 
breast.  Every  man  whom  they  now  met  carried  a 
spear  and  boh,  and  many  of  them  also  carried 
shields  made  of  closely  woven  rattan. 

The  dwellings  of  these  people  were  of  the  most 
simple  fashion.  They  were  built  on  posts  about  five 
or  six  feet  above  the  ground.  On  the  top  of  each 
post  was  placed  a piece  of  wood  shaped  like  an  in- 
verted washbasin,  the  purpose  of  this  being  to  pre- 
vent mice,  rats,  and  other  animals  of  this  character 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


233 


entering  the  house  by  way  of  the  posts  which  sup- 
ported it.  Above  the  posts  was  a frame  made  of 
bamboo  and  on  this  was  stretched  pieces  of  woven 
matting  made  from  strips  of  bamboo  or  reeds,  thus 
forming  the  sides  of  the  house.  The  roof  of  cogon 
grass  extended  far  beyond  the  sides  of  the  structure, 
giving  it,  as  it  stood  upon  the  high  posts,  the  appear- 
ance of  a huge  mushroom.  The  entrance  was  by 
little  ladders  of  bamboo,  which  wei'e  drawn  up  when 
not  in  use.  The  doorposts  of  the  houses  were  usually 
ornamented  by  the  skull  of  a carabao  or  other  ani- 
mal, and  the  walls  of  the  interior  were  also  decorated 
with  skulls  and  jawbones  of  various  animals,  and  in 
some  cases  with  human  skulls. 

The  methods  of  agriculture  were  in  marked  con- 
trast with  the  simple  habits  of  dress  and  household 
life.  The  mountainsides  were  carefully  terraced 
with  walls  of  stone  and  the  spaces  above  them  filled 
with  soil  and  irrigated  by  mountain  streams,  from 
which  the  water  was  conveyed  by  ditches  from  one 
level  to  another,  the  irrigated  spaces  being  devoted  to 
the  cultivation  of  rice,  while  in  the  places  to  which 
water  could  not  be  conveyed,  potatoes,  onions,  toma- 
toes, corn,  beans,  and  camotes,  or  sweet  potatoes, 
were  grown.  These  terraces  frequently  extended  far 
up  the  mountainside  and  indicated  that  these  wild 
tribes,  however  lacking  in  certain  of  the  elements  of 


234 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


civilization,  have  the  important  basic  quality  of  in- 
dustry and  ingenuity. 

“ These  Igorrotes,”  said  Mr.  Teller,  “ while  they 
remind  me  in  some  respects  of  the  Negritos  whom  we 
saw  in  Mindanao,  are  quite  different  in  their  habits 
of  industry  and  their  disposition  to  make  permanent 
homes  in  the  places  of  their  abode.  Certainly  they 
have  bestowed  an  enormous  amount  of  labor  in  mak- 
ing this  mountainous  country  productive.” 

“ Yes,”  replied  the  captain,  “ they  are  an  entirely 
different  race  from  the  Negritos.  They  are,  you 
see,  much  larger,  and  are,  indeed,  a large,  well-devel- 
oped race  of  people  physically,  with  yellow  skin  and 
straight  hair,  while  the  Negrito  has  a black  skin  and 
woolly  hair.  It  is  believed  by  some  that  these  people 
are  of  the  same  stock  as  the  Ainus  of  Japan  and  For- 
mosa, and  the  fact  that  they  have  the  head-hunt- 
ing habits  the  same  as  those  of  Formosa  seems  to 
add  color  to  this  theory.  Formosa,  you  know,  is 
but  a comparatively  short  distance  to  the  north  of 
northern  Luzon,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  these 
people  are  related  ethnologically  to  those  of  that 
island.” 

As  he  said  this  he  stooped  down  and  picked  up 
a small  object  from  the  little  path  which  they  were 
following.  As  he  turned  it  over,  his  eye  caught 
something  which  very  much  interested  him. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


235 


“ Good ! ” he  said,  holding  the  object  before  the 
eyes  of  Mr.  Teller.  “ We  are  upon  the  right  track 
at  last.” 

It  was  a small  button,  such  as  one  might  find  at 
any  roadside. 

“ Only  a button,”  said  Mr.  Teller.  “ That  does 
not  prove  anything,  does  it  ? ” 

“ Yes,  it  is  only  a button,”  said  the  captain,  “ but 
do  you  see  that  mark  upon  it,  the  mark  of  an  American 
manufacturer?  And  it  has  evidently  been  dropped 
there  within  a very  short  time,  for  it  has  no  sign  of 
dirt  upon  it,  and  there  was  a heavy  rain  here  but  two 
hours  ago.” 

They  hurried  on,  and  soon  it  became  apparent  that 
they  were  approaching  a town  of  some  importance. 
The  path  broadened  out  into  a road  of  considerable 
proportions,  the  streams  were  bridged  with  stone 
arches,  the  roadside  was  lined  with  native  huts,  and 
from  these  came,  tumbling  down  the  ladders,  groups 
of  children  drawn  by  the  curious  spectacle  of  an 
officer  and  a file  of  soldiers.  The  women  peered 
curiously  from  the  doors  or  stopped  in  their  work  of 
their  gardens,  throwing  back  the  long  hair  which  fell 
loosely  about  their  shoulders  and  gazing  in  aston- 
ishment. 

As  they  rounded  a point  on  the  mountainside  they 

saw  in  the  valley  below  them  a large  village  of  native 

16 


236 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


houses,  laid  out  with  broad  streets,  a market  place, 
and  several  substantial  buildings,  evidently  the  resi- 
dences of  important  members  of  the  community. 
In  this  market  place  was  gathered  a mass  of  people 
crowding  about  as  if  trying  to  get  a view  of  some 
of  the  figures  which  occupied  the  center  of  the  group ; 
and  looking  with  his  glass,  Captain  Wilkins  could 
see  that  the  central  objects  were  men  in  European  or 
American  costume.  Forming  his  men  into  line  and 
giving  them  orders  to  be  ready  for  any  emergency, 
but  to  make  no  hostile  movement  without  orders,  he 
moved  the  little  column  quickly  down  the  mountain- 
side and  across  the  narrow  valley  and  entered  the 
village  unobserved  by  the  inhabitants,  who  were  so 
much  intent  upon  the  object  before  them  that  they 
failed  to  observe  the  approach  of  strangers.  As  they 
neared  the  group  the  alarm  was  given,  but  to  the 
astonishment  of  Captain  Wilkins  and  his  men  there 
were  no  signs  of  hostility  other  than  some  shouts 
and  brandishing  of  spears  by  a few  excited  indi- 
viduals, who  were  soon  called  to  order  by  the  chief, 
who  advanced  to  greet  them  with  evidences  of  friend- 
ship. 

As  he  did  so  the  crowd  gave  way,  and  in  the 
center  of  the  group  the  captain  saw  the  figure  of 
his  friend  Daniel  Patterson,  not  deprived  of  his 
head  or  bound  or  suffering  tortures,  as  fancy  had 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


237 


pictured  him,  but  seated  upon  the  ground  beside  a 
mat  upon  which  were  wooden  dishes  heaped  with 
sweet  potatoes  and  corn  and  chicken  and  roast  pig 
and  rice  and  shells  of  cocoanut  filled  with  steaming 
coffee — a feast  spread  by  the  Igorrote  chieftains  in 
honor  of  their  American  visitor. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


Two  days  later  the  West  Virginia  entered  the  har- 
bor of  Manila  just  as  the  sun  was  disappearing  be- 
hind a great  bank  of  purple  and  gold-fringed  clouds 
which  skirted  the  western  horizon.  Captain  Wilkins 
had  pointed  out  the  historic  spots  as  they  entered 
the  bay — the  point  at  which  Dewey’s  fleet  crept  in 
silently  with  extinguished  lights  past  the  forts  which 
guarded  the  entrance  to  the  bay,  and  the  spot  at 
which  the  battle  took  place;  and  as  they  drew  slowly 
into  the  harbor  they  found  it  filled  with  vessels  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes  and  bearing  flags  of  many  nations. 
There  were  great  warships  flying  the  American  flag 
and  on  their  decks  a line  of  marines  drawn  up  in  order 
for  the  termination  of  the  day’s  duties ; there  were 
huge  American  merchant  vessels  from  whose  funnels 
a great  cloud  of  black  smoke  was  still  pouring,  indi- 
cating that  they  had  just  arrived  from  the  Pacific 
ports  of  the  United  States ; there  was  the  “ Mosquito 
Fleet  ” of  little  white  vessels  of  the  naval  and  reve- 
nue cutter  service ; vessels  flying  the  British  flag ; 
vessels  flying'  the  .German  flag;  vessels  flying  the 

238 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


239 


French  flag;  vessels  flying  the  Japanese  and  Chinese 
flags,  and  among  these  a score  of  little  tugs  were 
rushing  hack  and  forth,  puffing  and  screaming,  tow- 
ing barges  from  shore  to  vessel  and  again  from  vessel 
to  shore ; trim  little  launches  bearing  the  flag  of  the 
revenue  service  were  darting  hither  and  thither,  and 
long,  narrow  rowboats,  barely  wide  enough  for  the 
oarsmen  to  sit  and  only  prevented  from  overturning 
by  long  arms  supporting  a bamboo  pole  at  either  side, 
surrounded  the  vessels  and  offered  their  services  for 
transfer  of  passengers  and  baggage  to  the  shore. 

On  the  deck  stood  a group  composed  of  the  Misses 
Dennison  and  Saxton,  Mrs.  Baker,  Mr.  Teller,  and 
Daniel  Patterson,  while  on  the  bridge  just  above 
stood  Captain  Wilkins  giving  directions  for  the 
handling  of  the  vessel  as  she  moved  to  her  place  of 
anchorage.  Daniel  Patterson,  who  was  now  slowly 
gaining  strength  after  the  illness  resulting  from  his 
wound  at  Flew  York,  had  told  the  story  of  the  wan- 
derings among  the  Igorrotes,  the  loss  of  bearing  by 
the  native  guides,  the  capture  by  Igorrote  warriors, 
the  escort  to  the  native  town,  the  solemn  council  of 
the  aged  men  of  the  tribe  as  to  the  treatment  which 
he  should  receive,  and  the  final  conclusion  that  as  the 
Americans  had  shown  themselves  friends  to  the  Igor- 
rotes he  should  he  returned  in  safety  to  the  nearest 
military  post. 


240 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


This  little  group  of  Americans,  with  whom  the 
readers  of  this  story  and  of  its  predecessors,  “ Uncle 
Sam’s  Secrets  ” and  “ Uncle  Sam’s  Soldiers,”  are  now 
well  acquainted,  stood  silently  upon  the  deck  of  the 
West  Virginia  as  it  moved  into  the  harbor  of  Manila, 
enraptured  by  the  scenes  around  them.  They  had 
expected  to  find  a dingy  little  town  attended  by  a 
half-dozen  vessels,  but  here  they  saw  a great  harbor 
filled  with  magnificent  ships  representing  the  mer- 
cantile marine  of  the  world,  and  among  them  all  that 
activity  which  characterizes  the  harbor  of  one  of  the 
great  commercial  cities  of  the  United  States.  In- 
stead of  nipa- covered  houses  which  they  had  ex- 
pected to  find,  they  saw  before  them  a city  with 
handsome  structures  nestling  in  a tropical  forest  of 
rare  beauty,  a city  with  broad,  well-paved  streets 
through  which  flowed  a great  river  crowded  with 
lighters  and  barges,  native  boats  laden  with  products 
for  the  market,  rafts  of  logs  from  the  interior,  and 
threading  their  way  among  them,  busy  tugs  whose 
hoarse  whistles  could  be  heard  from  the  deck  of  the 
steamer  on  which  stood  this  group  of  expectant 
Americans,  and,  mingled  with  these  hoarse  whistles, 
the  scream  of  railway  engines,  the  rumble  of  street 
cars,  and  the  bustle  of  a busy  city.  Then,  as  the 
brightness  of  the  tropical  sunset  turned  to  the  dark- 
ness of  the  tropical  night,  a line  of  electric  lights 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


241 


flashed  into  view,  stretching  for  miles  along  the 
water  front,  colored  lights  appeared  at  the  mast- 
heads of  the  vessels  about  them,  and  the  chimes  of 
the  great  cathedral  bells  on  shore  rang  out  the  hour 
which  called  the  thousands  of  all  classes  to  their 
devotions. 

“ Are  we  in  fairyland  ? ” said  Miss  Dennison, 
clasping  her  hands  as  she  gazed  with  emotion  upon 
the  brilliant  spectacle  before  them.  “ Can  it  be  pos- 
sible that  we  are  really  in  the  Orient,  and  that  this 
beautiful  city  before  us  is  really  the  city  of  Manila, 
an  American  city  here  in  the  Orient,  on  the  very 
opposite  side  of  the  world,  with  all  these  evidences  of 
American  life  and  activity  ? ” 

No  true  American  who  has  traveled  the  weary 
thousands  of  miles  which  carry  him  halfway  around 
the  world,  and  encountered  the  strange  scenes  of 
Oriental  cities  and  Oriental  life,  can  fail  to  be  thus 
impressed  as  he  sees  this  great  harbor  and  city  of 
Manila  rise  before  him  like  a section  of  his  own 
country  transplanted  to  this  tropical  Oriental  island, 
an  Occidental  gem  in  an  Oriental  setting.  He  may 
be  somewhat  disenchanted  when  he  sets  foot  on  land 
and  finds  that  necessarily  many  of  the  surroundings 
are  still  those  which  have  appertained  to  this  section 
and  people  for  generations,  but  to  the  American  man 
or  woman  so  long  removed  from  the  scenes  to  which 


242 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


the  life  has  been  accustomed,  the  harbor  of  Manila 
with  its  American  ships,  American  flags,  and  Ameri- 
can bustle  is  like  a home-coming,  and  must  inspire 
him  with  a new  admiration  for  the  vigor  and  perse- 
verance and  enterprise  of  his  countrymen. 

“ I suppose  we  shall  have  to  remain  here  until 
morning,”  said  the  captain.  “ The  health  regula- 
tions of  the  city  of  Manila  are  very  strict,  and  no- 
body is  allowed  to  land  without  an  inspection  by  the 
medical  authorities.” 

“ An  inspection  by  the  medical  authorities,”  said 
Miss  Saxton.  “ How  strange ! Why  is  that,  Cap- 
tain Wilkins  ? ” 

“ It  is  the  custom  in  all  countries,  and  especially 
in  the  tropics,  and  a very  necessary  one.  It  often 
happens  that  vessels  arrive  from  ports  at  which  the 
cholera  plague  or  other  diseases  of  that  kind  are 
knowm  to  exist,  and  it  is  necessary  that  all  persons  on 
board — passengers,  officers,  and  crew — be  examined 
before  being  permitted  to  land.” 

Early  the  next  morning  a little  launch  bearing 
the  flag  of  the  medical  inspectors  ran  alongside  of 
the  vessel,  the  officers  clambered  on  board,  the  usual 
questions  were  asked,  the  pulse  of  each  passenger 
and  member  of  the  crew  was  tested,  and  the  formali- 
ties were  over.  The  captain’s  launch  was  lowered, 
the  siren  whistle  screamed,  the  great  steamers  about 


ON  THE  PASIG  RIVER,  MANILA. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


243 


them  seemed  to  fall  into  the  background,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  they  were  setting  foot  on  the  docks  at 
Manila,  with  a throng  of  men  in  white  costumes, 
but  with  American  faces  and  American  ways, 
gathering  about  them,  shouting  in  a familiar  tongue 
the  names  of  hotels,  or  offering  their  services  as 
guides,  as  drivers,  or  in  transfer  of  baggage. 

“ It  seems  just  like  getting  home  again,”  said  Miss 
Saxton,  “ to  hear  this  good  English  language  and 
the  good  American  ways  just  as  we  have  been  ac- 
customed to  them  all  our  lives  at  home.” 

The  scenes  on  the  streets  of  Manila  were  a strange 
mixture  of  the  Oriental  and  Occidental,  the  Euro- 
pean and  American,  the  ancient  and  the  modern. 
They  found  it  a city  of  more  than  a quarter  of  a 
million  of  people,  with  modem  buildings,  electric 
lights,  well-paved  streets,  and  modern  trolley  cars ; 
yet  a part  of  it  was  still  surrounded  with  a solid 
stone  wall,  built  centuries  ago,  with  its  picturesque 
gates  and  watchtowers,  a reminder  of  the  customs 
of  the  dark  ages  and  the  Inquisition.  Upon  the 
streets  the  man  in  the  costume  of  the  busy  American 
banker  touched  elbows  with  the  Spanish  merchant, 
the  half-caste  planter,  the  Chinese  trader,  and  the 
Filipino  workman.  American  ladies  rode  by  in  open 
carriages  drawn  by  handsome  horses,  ladies  with  a 
Spanish  cast  of  countenance  were  seen  peeping  from 


244 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


the  half-open  blinds  of  the  handsome  houses  whose 
second  stories  overhung  the  narrow  sidewalks.  The 
Filipino  women  clattered  noisily  along  the  streets  in 
heelless  slippers  which  flapped  loudly  against  the 
pavement  at  every  step,  the  babies  sitting  astride 
the  hip  of  the  mother  and  entering  no  protest,  no 
matter  how  hot  the  sun.  Children  with  American 
faces  and  speaking  the  English  language  walked 
quietly  along  the  streets,  gazing  with  wondering  eyes 
upon  the  strange  sights  about  them.  Others,  with 
eyes  and  hair  which  proclaimed  their  Spanish 
parentage,  chattered  together  in  the  Spanish  tongue 
as  they  studied  the  shop  windows  or  commented  upon 
the  costumes  and  customs  of  their  new  American 
neighbors;  others,  of  the  Filipino  type  with  straight 
black  hair  and  brown  skins,  luxuriated  in  a single 
garment  which  hung  from  the  shoulder  to  the 
knee,  and  tripped  lightly  over  the  pavement  in  bare 
feet. 

On  the  streets  the  carriage  of  the  dignified  Ameri- 
can official,  driven  by  a Filipino  cochero  dressed  in 
a livery  of  brown  linen  trimmed  with  blue,  swung 
at  a dashing  pace  past  the  quelis  of  the  Spanish  law- 
yer, the  carromata  of  the  sight-seeing  visitor,  and  the 
carabao  cart  which  transported  the  merchandise  of 
the  Chinese  shopkeeper.  On  the  Pasig  River,  the 
great  water  avenue  of  the  city,  tugs  officered  by 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


245 


Americans  threaded  their  way  among  the  lighters 
transporting  merchandise  from  British  ships  to  the 
Chinese  shopkeepers  or  from  German  vessels  to  East 
Indian  dealers  or  from  the  bamboo  rafts  which 
brought  the  products  of  the  countrymen  to  the  Fil- 
ipino market  dealer. 

The  day  was  a busy  one  for  the  young  ladies.  “ I 
have  but  one  day  here  before  my  steamer  leaves  for 
Japan,”  said  Mrs.  Baker,  “ and  I shall  be  glad  to 
show  you  some  of  the  interesting  sights  of  the  city 
of  Manila,  if  you  desire  a chaperon  for  that  pur- 
pose. I lived  in  Manila,  you  know,  before  I went 
to  Mindanao,  so  I am  tolerably  familiar  with  the 
city  and  its  sights,  and  shall  be  glad  to  introduce  you 
to  them.” 

So  a carrornata  was  engaged  for  the  day  after 
extended  negotiation  with  the  driver,  who  hesitated 
about  making  such  a long  engagement.  First  there 
was  a visit  to  the  “ Walled  City,”  by  which  is  meant 
the  oldest  part  of  Manila,  which  was  surrounded  by 
a stone  wall  some  twenty-five  feet  in  height  and 
twenty  feet  thick,  and  on  the  outer  side  a deep  moat, 
or  ditch,  which  was  filled  with  water.  The  purpose 
of  this  originally  was  to  protect  the  dwellers  of  the 
city  from  attacks  by  enemies  or  marauding  natives, 
who  were  in  those  days  liable  to  sweep  down  from 
the  mountains  of  the  interior  or  come  up  from  the 


246 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


sea  as  pirates.  Within  the  walls  the  streets  were  nar- 
row, and  the  little  sidewalks  which  ran  beside  them 
were  scarcely  sufficient  in  width  to  permit  two  per- 
sons to  pass  in  meeting.  The  buildings  fronted  di- 
rectly upon  these  narrow  sidewalks  and  the  second 
story  projected  over  them  so  far  that  the  pedestrian 
seemed  to  be  walking  in  a covered  way.  In  the 
heart  of  this  walled  city  was  the  palace  of  the  gov- 
ernor, a handsome  white  structure  with  a beautiful 
marble  stairway  which  led  to  the  great  audiencia, 
the  audience  chamber  where  affairs  of  state  were 
held,  and  on  the  floor  above  this  was  the  office  of  the 
governor,  surrounded  by  those  of  other  officials  of 
the  insular  government.  The  walls  which  surround 
this  old  part  of  the  city  are  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  in  length,  with  drawbridges  extending  across 
the  moat.  Prior  to  1852  these  drawbridges  were 
always  carefully  drawn  up  at  eleven  o’clock  each 
night  and  lowered  at  four  o’clock  each  morning. 
Since  American  occupation,  however,  they  have  never 
been  closed,  and  the  moats,  or  ditches,  outside  the 
walls  have  been  filled  with  earth  for  the  purpose 
of  reducing  the  danger  of  disease  from  the  stagnant 
waters  and  accumulations  of  filth  which  these  ditches 
contained.  From  the  governor’s  palace  they  went 
to  the  great  cathedral,  located  within  the  walled  city, 
and  built  during  Spanish  control  with  a liberal  use 


MARKET  BOATS,  MANILA 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


247 


of  funds — an  imposing  and  handsome  structure  with 
costly  and  beautiful  windows  and  carvings,  and  the 
interior  handsomely  finished — and  near  it  the  great 
convent,  and,  a few  blocks  distant,  other  churches 
and  convent  buildings. 

From  the  walled  city  they  went  to  the  Escolta,  the 
principal  business  street  of  Manila.  They  found  it 
crowded  with  vehicles  of  all  descriptions — the  car- 
riage of  the  American  official  or  the  Spanish  law- 
yer; the  quelis , or  two-wheeled  vehicle  of  the  busy 
tradesman ; the  carromata,  patronized  by  everybody 
at  a fixed  rate  per  hour ; the  carabao  cart,  loaded  with 
merchandise  and  creeping  slowly  through  the  city, 
the  driver  sitting  astride  the  back  of  the  carabao.  The 
Escolta  is  the  street  of  retail  shops,  some  occupied 
by  Americans,  some  by  English,  others  by  Germans, 
and  still  others  by  intelligent  and  courteous  Filipinos, 
who  speak  perfect  English  and  exhibit  their  wares 
with  all  the  politeness  and  business  acumen  observ- 
able in  any  country.  The  shops  were  crowded  with 
people  of  all  classes — handsomely  dressed  ladies,  some 
of  them  evidently  the  wives  of  American  officials, 
others  whose  features  showed  that  they  were  of 
Spanish  descent,  and  still  others  of  Filipino  stock, 
but  speaking  Spanish  or  English,  as  occasion  might 
require.  The  young  ladies  expressed  surprise  at 
these  evidences  of  intelligence  and  culture  and  the 


248 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


methods  of  European  civilization  observable  among 
the  Filipinos  of  the  more  progressive  type. 

“ You  must  remember,”  said  Mrs.  Baker,  “ that 
there  are  many  well-educated  and  widely  experienced 
people  among  the  Filipinos  of  the  islands,  especially 
in  and  about  Manila,  and  considerable  numbers  of 
them  have  been  educated  in  Europe  and  are  familiar 
with  conditions  in  all  parts  of  the  world.” 

From  the  Escolta  they  drove  through  the  Rosario, 
a street  crowded  with  Chinese  and  native  shops  of  the 
Oriental  pattern,  each  shop  a single  small  apartment 
opening  directly  upon  the  sidewalk,  the  proprietor 
sitting  at  the  front  and  smiling  blandly  upon  those 
of  the  passers  who  bestowed  a glance  upon  his  wares. 
From  the  Rosario  they  turned  to  the  residence  por- 
tion of  the  city,  where  Mrs.  Baker  paid  hurried  calls 
upon  some  of  her  former  acquaintances,  and  her  com- 
panions were  astonished  to  find  handsome  and  costly 
residences  built  in  European  style  and  furnished 
with  the  products  of  American  factories,  the  sliding 
windows  of  translucent  shells  opening  upon  broad 
verandas  festooned  with  tropical  vines  and  plants. 
The  reception  given  Mrs.  Baker  and  her  young 
friends  by  the  Filipino  and  Spanish  hostesses  was 
most  cordial,  proving  also  a series  of  constant  sur- 
prises to  the  American  girls,  who  could  scarcely 
realize  that  the  handsomely  gowned,  English-speak- 


STREET  SCENE  IN  MANILA:  THE  ESCOLTA. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


249 


ing  ladies  to  whom  they  were  presented  were  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Filipino  race. 

“ And  now,”  said  Mrs.  Baker,  as  they  made  their 
adios  to  the  Filipino  ladies  and  were  escorted  to  the 
carromata  by  the  muchacho,  or  house  boy,  “ you  must 
not  forget  your  engagement  for  this  afternoon.  You 
know  you  and  Mr.  Teller  and  Mr.  Patterson  are  to 
call  at  the  offices  of  the  head  of  the  public-school  sys- 
tem. I am  glad  that  Mr.  Patterson  is  going  with 
you,  for  he  seems  to  be  very  much  interested  in  the 
schools,  and  has  the  faculty  of  finding  out  a lot  of 
very  interesting  facts.” 

An  hour  later  they  were  at  the  palace,  and,  after 
a few  minutes’  waiting,  were  cordially  received  by 
the  official  in  charge  of  that  branch  of  the  educa- 
tional service  to  which  they  had  been  assigned. 

“We  shall  have  plenty  for  you  to  do,”  he  said 
cheerily,  as  he  proceeded  to  enroll  them  and  make 
notes  of  their  respective  qualifications  based  upon 
experience  and  lines  of  special  study.  “ The  de- 
mand for  teachers  is  very  pressing.  The  desire  of 
the  Filipino  people  for  education  is  very  great,  and 
not  only  are  they  sending  their  children  for  enroll- 
ment in  the  day  schools,  but  many  of  the  parents  are 
themselves  attending  the  night  schools,  since  their 
duties  do  not  permit  them  to  attend  the  day  sessions.” 

“ You  really  find  the  Filipino  indicating  a desire 


250 


UNCLE  SAM'S  CHILDREN 


for  education  and  development  along  such  lines,  do 
you  ? ” said  Mr.  Patterson,  who  had  listened  with 
much  interest. 

“ Let  me  answer  that  by  our  actual  experiences. 
The  work  of  establishing  schools  began  soon  after 
the  war  closed,  because  we  saw  the  importance  of  not 
only  providing  education  for  the  rising  generation, 
but  of  establishing  some  common  medium  of  com- 
munication among  these  people,  and  between  them 
and  such  of  the  American  people  as  may  come  into 
contact  with  them  in  person  or  otherwise.  There  are 
eight  distinct  tribes  of  Christian  or  civilized  Fili- 
pinos, and  some  of  these  had  two  or  more  distinct 
languages  or  dialects,  so  different  that  communica- 
tion between  the  different  sections  and  localities  was 
impossible ; while  the  people  of  one  tribe  did  not 
understand  the  language  of  any  other  tribe.  They 
had  comparatively  little  literature  of  their  own,  and 
to  attempt  to  adopt  the  language  of  any  one  of  these 
tribes  and  make  it  common  to  the  people  of  the 
islands  was  more  difficult  than  to  take  some  language 
in  which  there  was  a plentiful  supply  of  literature 
and  books  for  educational  purposes.  So  it  seemed 
advisable  to  select  some  language  different  from  that 
of  any  of  the  Filipino  tribes.” 

“ So  you  naturally  selected  the  English  language,” 
said  Mr.  Patterson. 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


251 


“ The  languages  which  suggested  themselves,”  con- 
tinued the  official,  “ were  English  and  Spanish.  The 
Spanish,  it  is  true,  had  been  the  language  of  the  gov- 
erning people  for  centuries,  yet  it  appeared  that  but 
about  ten  per  cent  of  the  people  of  the  islands  spoke 
it,  and,  what  is  more  important,  it  is  not  spoken  by 
any  considerable  share  of  the  business  world  with 
whom  we  hope  the  people  of  these  islands  will  have 
growing  and,  in  time,  important  relations.  The  Eng- 
lish language  is  not  only  that  of  the  governing  coun- 
try, but  it  is  the  recognized  language  of  commerce 
throughout  the  Orient,  and  is  gaining  ground  every- 
where as  the  language  of  commerce.  So  it  seemed 
that  the  English  language  was  the  one  which  ought 
to  be  adopted  as  the  general  medium  by  which  the 
people  of  the  various  tribes  could  communicate  with 
each  other  and  with  those  who  are  administering  the 
government,  and  also  communicate  with  the  business 
and  commercial  world.” 

“ How  is  it,”  said  Mr.  Patterson,  “ that  the  Fili- 
pino people,  who  are,  as  I understand  it,  of  one 
general  stock — Malay — have  so  many  different  lan- 
guages ? ” 

“ For  the  very  simple  reason  that  they  have  al- 
ways been  widely  separated  through  the  occupancy 
of  different  islands  and  through  the  division  of  the 

large  islands  into  distinct  sections  by  great  and  prac- 
17 


252 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


tically  impassable  mountain  ranges.  The  various 
groups  of  people  occupying  the  various  islands  and 
the  distinct  sections  of  the  large  islands  have  thus 
been  absolutely  separated  from  each  other  by  those 
natural  barriers,  and,  as  a result,  different  forms 
of  the  original  language  have  grown  up  and  be- 
come distinct  languages,  each  understood  only  by 
the  members  of  the  tribe  which  developed  it  during 
long  periods  of  time  and  by  many  generations  of 
people.” 

“ And  does  your  experience  indicate  that  you  are 
going  to  be  successful  in  establishing  the  English  as 
a language  for  general  communication  ? ” 

“ We  think  so.  Of  course  it  will  be  a slow  process, 
but  in  the  short  time  since  the  schools  were  opened 
there  has  been  rapid  progress  in  this  line,  and  it  is 
estimated  that  about  twelve  per  cent  of  the  people 
now  speak  sufficient  English  to  communicate  with 
each  other  and  with  the  English-speaking  people  with 
whom  they  come  in  contact,  either  in  the  administra- 
tion of  government  or  in  commercial  life.” 

“ And  do  the  Filipino  people  indicate  a desire  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  them  by 
the  schools  organized  by  the  American  Govern- 
ment ? ” 

“ That  brings  me  to  the  figures,”  replied  the  offi- 
cial with  a smile,  turning  to  a book  lying  upon  his 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


253 


desk.  “ There  was  a beginning,  a mere  beginning, 
in  teaching  the  Filipino,  immediately  after  the  war, 
and  certain  of  the  soldiers  qualified  for  that  work 
and  were  assigned  to  the  duty  of  teaching  and  aiding 
the  Filipino  teachers  in  instruction,  and  especially 
in  the  English  language.  But  it  was  not  until  1901 
that  the  educational  system  was  definitely  framed, 
agreed  upon,  and  put  into  operation.  The  plan  they 
adopted  and  put  into  operation  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  year  1901  was  to  bring  American  teachers  who 
should  give  instruction  especially  to  adult  Filipinos 
with  a view  to  fitting  them  for  the  work  of  teaching. 
All  instructions  were  to  he  carried  on  in  the  English 
language  and  with  English  text-books.  About  1,000 
American  teachers  were  brought  to  the  islands  for 
that  work.” 

“ And  what  has  been  the  result  of  that  experiment 
thus  far,”  said  Miss  Dennison,  “ both  as  to  the  num- 
ber of  Filipino  teachers  provided  and  to  the  number 
of  piipils  attending  the  schools  ? ” 

“ That  is  what  I am  coming  to,”  replied  the  offi- 
cial, as  he  ran  his  finger  down  the  column.  “ The 
number  of  Filipino  teachers  has  steadily  grown  until 
it  is  now  over  5,000 ; and  remember  that  these  teach- 
ers render  their  instruction  in  the  English  language 
and  with  English  text-books.” 

“ How  have  you  been  able  to  find  so  many  Fili- 


254 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


pinos  who  could  speak  and  teach  the  English  lan- 
guage ? ” 

“ By  instructing  them ; a part  of  the  work  of  the 
1,000  American  teachers  has  been  instruction  of  the 
Filipino  teachers  in  the  English  language.  They 
have  had  their  classes  of  men  and  women  desiring 
to  learn  English  and  to  learn  methods  of  teaching, 
and  have  given  them  daily  instruction.  As  a result 
there  are  now  over  5,000  Filipino  teachers  actually 
at  work  in  the  schools,  and  we  hope  to  make  the 
number  6,000  or  7,000  before  we  reach  the  limita- 
tions of  our  work.2’ 

“ And  does  that  mean,”  inquired  Miss  Saxton  with 
an  air  of  anxiety,  “ that  the  work  of  the  American 
teachers  is  to  end  when  you  have  enough  Filipino 
teachers,  and  that  the  American  instructors  will  then 
be  out  of  employment  here  ? ” 

“ Not  at  all,”  was  the  reply.  “ On  the  contrary, 
we  expect  to  put  the  American  teachers,  as  rapidly 
as  possible,  into  more  advanced  work  in  teaching  the 
higher  grades  in  the  public  schools,  also  in  work  in 
the  normal  schools,  leaving  the  primary  instruction 
to  the  Filipino  teachers  where  possible.” 

“ But  you  have  not  told  us  whether  the  people 
themselves  are  indicating  a desire  to  have  their 
children  attend  the  schools,”  said  Mr.  Teller. 

“ These  figures  will  answer  that  question,”  said 


YOUNG  FILIPINOS  AT  SCHOOL. 


- 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


255 


the  official,  turning  again  to  his  hook.  “ The  num- 
ber of  pupils  enrolled  in  the  public  schools  on  the 
archipelago  in  September,  1903,  only  two  years  after 
the  plan  for  the  schools  had  been  developed,  was  183,- 
000 ; by  September,  1904,  a year  later,  the  number 
was  364,000,  having  thus  practically  doubled  in  one 
year;  and  in  April,  1905,  the  number  was  510,000, 
having  thus  increased  fifty  per  cent  in  about  a half 
year.  This  we  think,  shows  beyond  a question  that 
the  Filipino  people  desire  to  see  their  children  edu- 
cated, and  we  have  also  evidence  that  they  desire 
education  for  themselves  in  the  fact  that  many  of 
them  attend  the  night  schools.” 

“ The  systematic  plan  laid  down  by  the  authorities 
looks  to  the  development  of  something  more  than  a 
primary  school  work  then,  does  it  % ” asked  Mr.  Pat- 
terson. 

“ Yes,”  was  the  response  of  the  official.  “ Our 
plan  includes:  (1)  The  placing  of  primary  instruc- 
tion within  the  reach  of  every  child  in  the  Christian 
or  civilized  provinces  of  the  archipelago.  (2)  To 
organize  each  province  into  a school  district  to  be 
placed  in  charge  of  competent  supervising  teachers. 
(3)  To  train  Filipino  teachers  for  the  work  in  at 
least  the  primary  schools.  (4)  To  organize  in  the 
larger  municipalities  intermediate  schools  with  in- 
dustrial training  as  a part  of  their  system.  (5)  To 


256 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


establish  a high  school  in  each  province.  (6)  To  es- 
tablish one  or  more  normal  or  technical  schools  in  the 
islands,  and  (7)  to  thus  pave  the  way  for  the  estab- 
lishment in  due  time  of  a Philippine  university.” 

“ A pretty  ambitious  programme,  is  it  not  ? ” said 
Mr.  Patterson. 

“ Yes,  blit  a perfectly  rational  one,  we  think,  and 
a proper  one  if  we  are  to  assume  that  the  Pilipino 
is  capable  of  development — as  we  believe  he  is — 
and  of  coming  into  closer  and  more  cordial  relations 
with  the  people  of  the  United  States  as  the  years  pass 
and  the  acquaintance  develops  through  closer  com- 
mercial and  industrial  relationship.  So  you  see,” 
he  added,  “ that  you  teachers  need  not  fear  that  you 
will  be  crowded  out  of  your  work  by  the  Filipino 
teachers,  for  there  is  more  advanced  work  in  sight 
for  all  American  teachers  who  desire  it.” 

Then  he  turned  to  another  page  of  the  book,  and 
added : “ Mr.  Teller  will  be  assigned  to  work  in  a 

province  in  northern  Luzon,  and,  after  service  in  the 
primary  grades  will  have  the  right  to  aspire  to  the 
position  of  supervising  teacher  or  principal.  Miss 
Dennison  and  Miss  Saxton  will  be  assigned  to  school 
work  in  the  city  of  Manila  and  will  in  time  have  a 
right  to  aspire  to  high  school  or  normal  school  work.” 

Then  the  members  of  the  party,  joining  Mrs. 
Baker  and  Captain  Wilkins,  hailed  a passing  electric 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


257 


car  and  were  soon  on  the  Luneta,  a handsome  park 
fronting  upon  Manila  Bay  and  at  night  brilliantly 
lighted  by  electricity,  where  they  spent  an  hour  listen- 
ing to  the  strains  of  popular  and  classical  music  dis- 
coursed by  a Filipino  hand,  and  watching  the  end- 
less procession  of  well-dressed  people  who  passed  and 
repassed  in  carriages  and  carromatas  or  rested  upon 
the  benches  and  grass,  conversing  in  English  and 
Spanish  and  French  and  German  and  Chinese  and 
Tagalog,  or,  as  Miss  Saxton  expressed  it,  “ every 
language  under  the  sun.” 

One  month  later  the  members  of  the  party  gath- 
ered again  in  Manila,  this  time  for  the  purpose  of 
saying  good-hy  to  Dan  Patterson,  their  faithful 
friend  and  associate  in  times  of  trouble.  He  had 
spent  the  month  in  the  island  of  Mindanao  in  com- 
pany with  Captain  Wilkins,  apparently  upon  some 
mysterious  errand  which  neither  of  them  seemed  dis- 
posed to  discuss.  Mrs.  Baker  had  returned  from 
Japan  refreshed  by  her  trip,  and  arrived  in  Manila 
on  the  day  the  West  Virginia  returned  from  Min- 
danao, and  was  gratified  to  learn  that  it  had  on 
board  Lieutenant  Baker  and  their  daughters,  to  meet 
her  at  Manila.  Captain  King,  of  Cebu,  was  also 
present,  having  by  chance  arrived  in  Manila  on  or- 
ders a few  days  earlier.  Mr.  Teller  had  come  by 
rail  from  Dagupan,  which  was  hut  a few  hours’  ride 


258 


UNCLE  SAM’S  CHILDREN 


from  his  place  of  work  among  the  Ilocanos,  for 
whom  he  had  already  conceived  a high  regard. 
Misses  Dennison  and  Saxton  came  fresh  and  cheery 
from  their  school  work,  which  they  declared  most 
interesting,  every  day  giving  them  a better  opinion 
of  the  Filipino  and  a greater  confidence  in  his  future. 
Dan  Patterson  had  fully  recovered  from  the  effect 
of  the  bullet  which  he  received  while  signaling  to  the 
steamer  off  the  dock  at  New  York,  and  had  arranged 
to  return  to  the  United  States  by  a steamer  which 
was  to  go  first  to  the  little  American  island  of  Guam, 
thence  to  the  Samoan  group,  thence  to  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  and  finally  to  one  of  the  Pacific  ports  of 
the  United  States. 

As  he  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  departing  steamer 
and  waved  good-by  to  the  friends  who  had  accom- 
panied him  in  Captain  Wilkins’s  launch,  he  pur- 
chased a copy  of  a Manila  evening  paper  from  an 
enterprising  Filipino  youth,  and,  glancing  over  the 
head  lines,  he  read  these  words : 

“ Wallace  Addison,  an  American  counterfeiter, 
arrested  in  the  island  of  Mindanao.” 


THE  END 


(1) 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  WEST  SERIES. 


The  Story  of  the  Soldier. 

By  General  G.  A.  Forsyth,  U.  S.  A.  (retired).  Illustrated  by 
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Arickaree  for  days  against  Roman  Nose  and  his  thousands  of 
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one  to  be  studied  with  care,  and  it  is  a pleasure  to  commend  it  as  most 
helpful  to  sociological  students.” — Chicago  Evening  Post. 

“ A valuable  and  interesting  book.  . . . Will  attract  the  attention 
of  all  students  of  anthropology  and  all  its  kindred  subjects.  While  it 
will  most  deeply  interest  advanced  scholarly  readers,  it  at  the  same 
time  abounds  in  value  for  those  not  among  the  learned  classes.” — 
Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


By  ARABELLA  B.  BUCKLEY  (Mrs.  Fisher). 


The  Fairy-Land  of  Science. 

With  74  Illustrations.  Revised  edition.  i2mo.  Cloth, 
gilt,  $1.50. 

“ Deserves  to  take  a permanent  place  in  the  literature  of  youth.” — London  Times . 
“So  interesting  that,  having  once  opened  the  book,  we  do  not  know  how  to 
*eave  off  reading.” — Saturday  Review . 

Through  Magic  Glasses. 

A Sequel  to  “The  Fairy-Land  of  Science.”  Illus- 
trated. i2mo.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

Life  and  Her  Children. 

Glimpses  of  Animal  Life  from  the  Amoeba  to  the  Insects. 
With  over  100  Illustrations,  nmo,  Cloth,  gilt,  $1.50. 

“The  work  forms  a charming  introduction  to  the  study  of  zoology — the  science 
of  living  things — which,  we  trust,  will  find  its  way  into  many  hands.  — Nature. 

Moral  Teachings  of  Science. 

i2mo.  Cloth,  75  cents. 

“A  little  book  that  proves,  with  excellent  clearness  and  force,  how  many  and 
striking  are  the  moral  lessons  suggested  by  the  study  of  the  life  history  of  the  plant 
or  bird,  beast  or  insect.” — London  Saturday  Review. 

Winners  in  Life’s  Race ; or,  The  Great  Back- 
boned Family. 

With  numerous  Illustrations.  i2mo.  Cloth,  gilt,  $1.50. 

“We  can  conceive  of  no  better  gift-book  than  this  volume.  Miss  Buckley  has 
spared  no  pains  to  incorporate  in  her  book  the. latest  results  of  scientific  research. 
The  illustrations  in  the  book  deserve  the  highest  praise — they  are  numerous,  accu- 
rate, and  striking.” — Spectator. 

A Short  History  of  Natural  Science  and  of  the 
Progress  of  Discovery, 

From  the  Time  of  the  Greeks  to  the  Present  Time.  New 
edition,  revised  and  rearranged.  With  77  Illustrations. 
i2mo.  Cloth,  $2.00. 

“The  work,  though  mainly  intended  for  children  and  young  persons,  may  be 
most  advantageously  read  by  many  persons  of  riper  age,  and  may  serve  to  implant 
in  their  minds  a fuller  and  clearer  conception  of  ‘ the  promises,  the  achievements, 
and  the  claims  of  science.’  ” — Journal  of  Science. 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


BY  HEZEKIAH  BUTTERWORTH. 


The  Young  McKinley. 

Illustrated.  i2mo.  Ornamental  Cloth,  $1.50. 

Mr.  .Butterworth  portrays  the  future  President  at  school,  where,  after  a bitter  dis=> 
appointment,  the  crusty  old  school-teacher,  who  has  a good  heart  beneath  his  severe 
exterior,  says  to  him  : “ Never  mind,  you  may  be  President  yet.”  He  traces  President 
McKinley’s  career  through  his  army  davs  to  the  time  when  he  was  preparing  for  that 
great  political  career  which  made  the  blow  that  struck  him  down  at  the  height  of  his 
glory  a blow  to  the  whole  United  States. 

Brother  Jonathan;  or,  The  Alarm  Post  in  the  Cedars. 

A Tale  of  Early  Connecticut.  Illustrated.  i2mo.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

In  the  Days  of  Audubon. 

A Tale  of  the  “ Protector  of  Birds.’’  Illustrated  by  B.  West  Clinedinst 
and  others.  i2mo.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

In  the  Days  of  Jefferson;  or,  The  Six  Golden  Horseshoes. 

A Tale  of  Republican  Simplicity.  Illustrated  by  F.  T.  Merrill.  $1.50. 

The  Story  of  Magellan. 

A Tale  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Philippines.  Illustrated  by  F.  T.  Merrill 
and  others.  $1.50. 

The  Treasure  Ship. 

A Story  of  Sir  William  Phipps  and  the  Inter-Charter  Period  in  Massa- 
chusetts. Illustrated  by  B.  West  Clinedinst  and  others.  $1.50. 

The  Pilot  of  the  Mayflower. 

Illustrated  by  H.  Winthrop  Peirce  and  others.  $1.50. 

True  to  His  Home. 

A Tale  of  the  Boyhood  of  Franklin.  Illustrated  by  H.  Winthrop  Peirce. 

$1.50. 

The  Wampum  Belt ; or,  The  Fairest  Page  of  History. 

A Tale  of  William  Penn’s  Treaty  with  the  Indians.  With  6 full-page 
Illustrations.  $1.50. 

The  Knight  of  Liberty. 

A Tale  of  the  Fortunes  of  Lafayette.  With  6 full-page  Illustrations.  $1.50. 

The  Patriot  Schoolmaster. 

A Tale  of  the  Minutemen  and  the  Sons  of  Liberty.  With  6 full-page 
Illustrations  by  H.  Winthrop  Peirce.  $ 1.50. 

In  the  Boyhood  of  Lincoln. 

A Story  of  the  Black  Hawk  War  and  the  Tunker  Schoolmaster.  With 
12  Illustrations  and  colored  Frontispiece.  $1.50. 

The  Boys  of  Greenway  Court. 

A Story  of  the  Early  Years  of  Washington.  With  10  full-page  Illustra- 
tions. $1.50. 

The  Log  School-House  on  the  Columbia. 

With  13  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Carter  Beard,  E.  J.  Austen,  and 
others.  $1.50. 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


ILLUSTRATED  JUVENILE  STORIES. 


Fifty-two  Stories  for  Girls. 

Edited  by  Alfred  H.  Miles.  Illustrated.  i2mo. 
Ornamental  Cloth,  $1.50. 

A story  for  every  week  in  the  year.  The  very  best  present  a girl 
could  have.  A constant  reminder  of  the  giver.  Fifty-two  stories  by 
the  best  English  writers,  inculcating  the  love  of  honor,  truth,  and  loyalty. 
These  are  such  stories  as  it  will  do  little  girls  good  to  read.  They  teach 
the  love  of  home  and  many  lovable  qualities.  Among  the  contributors 
are  Margaret  Watson,  Jennie  Chapman,  Lucy  Hardy,  Alfred  H.  Miles, 
Lucie  E.  Jackson,  and  Thomas  Archer. 

Fifty-two  Stories  for  Boys. 

Edited  by  Alfred  H.  Miles.  Illustrated.  i2mo. 
Ornamental  Cloth,  $1.50. 

A story  for  every  week  in  the  year.  The  very  best  present  a boy 
could  have.  A constant  reminder  of  the  giver.  Fifty-two  stories  by  the 
best  English  writers,  inculcating  the  love  of  honor,  manhood,  truth,  and 
patriotism.  These  are  stories  which  stir  the  imagination  and  stimulate 
the  reader  to  try  to  become  a great  man  himself.  Among  the  con- 
tributors are  Alfred  H.  Miles,  Robert  Overton,  Lieut.-Col.  A.  J.  Mac- 
pherson,  G.  A.  Henty,  F.  M.  Holmes,  and  Grace  Stebbing. 

Jacks  of  All  Trades. 

A Story  for  Girls  and  Boys.  By  Katharine  N. 
Birdsall.  Illustrated  in  two  colors  by  Walter 
Russell,  with  many  text  cuts.  i2mo.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

Here  is  a story  that  shows  conclusively  that  “ the  child  is  father  of 
the  man.”  Miss  Birdsall  has  written  a book  that  should  be  read  by 
every  boy  and  girl  who  has  any  ambition  or  purpose  to  develop  the  best 
that  is  in  them.  The  author  has  taken  nobility  of  character  as  the  key- 
note for  a most  wholesome  and  inspiriting  story,  the  plot  of  which  is  of 
absorbing  interest. 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


Date  Due 

FORM  335  40 M 9-42 

919.14 


A937U 


467660 


